From The Raptor Center
These photos show Twig, our Eastern screech owl ambassador, in a heavy molt. You might call it owl pattern baldness. But unlike human male pattern baldness, Twig's is only temporary. He is a bit bald and also a bit wet from taking a dip in his water dish.
Raptors, like all birds, molt. It's the natural process in which old or damaged feathers are shed and replaced with fresh new ones. During the molting period, birds may have a scruffy, patchy appearance, as Twig currently does.
Does it hurt? Does it itch? Molting doesn't hurt, since mature feathers are made of keratin, a structural protein similar to what comprises our hair and nails. But the incoming feathers, which have a blood and nerve supply, can be painful if bumped or broken.
Molting is regulated by hormones. In raptors, it occurs slowly, spanning a few months so as not to impede their ability to fly and hunt. Most of the common species seen in Minnesota molt feathers starting in late spring through the summer. During this time, birds require less energy to stay warm, meaning they can direct their calories into growing new feathers, which takes significant energy. Also, molting is timed after the breeding season and wraps up before migration, two additional energy-expensive activities. The Audubon Society explains this well on their website.
As for birds in care at TRC's raptor hospital, injury, poor health, and stress can postpone, pause, or cause unnatural molting. They can also cause weakening of growing feathers, as indicated by the formation of "stress bars" - horizontal lines running across the feathers, making them more prone to breakage.
As for Twig, his molt is proceeding on schedule, and he'll soon be looking like his old self, as seen in the final photo of this series, with refreshed feathers!
