Anyone ever seen a Blue Jay like this?

[YoBenny]

I think I took a pic this morning of another one with this problem just not as advanced, wondering WTH is going on with this bird....

 

[LaFoto]

Could it be moulting - or would you say "be in moult" (AE: molt)?

 

[Jaemie]

Mites, perhaps.

 

[digital flower]

Thats a pigeon :mrgreen:

 

[seakritter]

Geez, kids and their new hair styles, lol, mites is most likely the cause

 

[Bynx]

I have half a dozen blue jays visiting me every day and one of them looks exactly like that. Really odd looking head with very skinny neck and no plume. Almost like it was the runt of the litter. However, in my case, he is the most aggressive one and gets the food first.

 

[Infinite_Day]

A quick google search confirms my first suspicion when seeing the photo and LaFoto's suggestion: It's a juvenile bird molting into it's adult plumage.

 

[Railphotog]

I got a similar one on our birdbath a while ago, and sent the photo to the local newspaper columnist who is a naturalist. He said the jay was indeed moulting. Here's mine:



I first uploaded the image to Photobucket, but the forum uploader said it was a GIF image and was the wrong type. It was a JPG, and showed as a JPG. So what's happening? Believe I've had this happen in the past. I do not make GIF files!

 

[emoxley]

No bluejays here like that, but we've had a couple of cardinals like that. I read that it's mites that cause it. They say the feathers will grow back.

 

[KenC]

I think it's a troubled adolescent blue jay that shaved its head. Next thing you know it'll be hanging out with the starlings and the grackles.

 

[cgipson1]

ZOMBIE BIRDS WILL EAT YOUR FACE! lol!

 

[MLeeK]

It actually doesn't look like a typical moult. It looks like a mite problem to me.

 

[Forkie]

Article on bald Blue Jays and Cardinals:

Keeping up with the Birds: : Bald headed cardinals and blue jays in late summer. How does this happen?