March Madness Feature - The Preening o' The GREEN! by Flock-Together on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

When your wardrobe starts looking a little threadbare, it’s time to replace it, right? Your bird does the same thing. Except, instead of heading to the mall, our avian friends use a wonderful mechanism to make sure their garments are always impeccable: they molt their feathers.
Our pet birds’ feathers are multi-functional, so they need to be kept in tip-top shape. Feathers keep a bird warm, and they enable it to fly to get food as well as flee from danger. Feathers also help a bird attract a mate, and they help keep chicks warm, too. A bird’s system is geared toward keeping these multi-tasking, multi-purpose feathers in good working order.
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:thumb357719321:SELF-GROOMING
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Our birds do daily grooming maintenance (“preening”) using their beaks. They run the microscopic parts of their feathers through the edges of their beak, re-zipping the hooks that exist on each feather strand so that the feather creates a solid surface. While doing so, they also clean off the dry, built-up debris on the feather.

Most companion bird species have an uropygial gland, or “preen gland,” although Amazon parrots and hyacinth macaws do not. The uropygial gland is the only oil gland on a bird’s body, and it is found at the top of the base of the tail. Parrots spread tiny, metered amounts of this oil on their beak and then run their beak throughout the feathers, spreading the oil. Sometimes you can catch your bird rubbing its head over the uropygial gland, that's one place they can't reach with their beak, obviously. Mated or bonded birds will delicately groom each other's faces and necks and it's very sweet to watch. Birds of the same sex will also preen each other.

Maintenance also requires cleaning. Periodically, sometimes multiple times each day, a bird utilizes whatever nature offers it to clean its feathers. Outside, birds utilize rain, puddles or other bodies of water, dew or rain droplets on leaves, or sand to help extra oils and dirt fall off the feathers.

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MOLTING
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Even the best-maintained feathers have microscopic structures that eventually wear out and the feathers will no longer hold together properly. A bird periodically (usually up to several times each year) goes through a replacement cycle, where each feather is replaced by a new one. This is called a “molt.”

The molt cycle is a vulnerable time for a bird. During this period, the bird lacks its normal amount of feathers, so the functions they perform are not optimal. In addition, the growth of new feathers requires many nutrients, including calories, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. If there are any issues of nutrition or illness during this time, the bird’s body does not have the resources to grow normal feathers. As a result the feathers grow abnormally, or the bird delays molting altogether. Because resources out in the wild often follow seasonal patterns, molt cycles generally follow times when food is more readily available to provide nutrients for the growing feathers, such as in spring.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
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Our birds' skin and feathers are delicate and sensitive, and the appearance of your bird's plumage is a direct indication of its overall health. Here are tips to help ensure that your bird has the healthiest skin and feathers possible:

DIET: Be sure you feed your bird a diet that meets his or her specific species requirements. Pelleted diets are preferred by avian veterinarians because each pellet contains the same nutritional value as the next. Birds cannot pick out their favorite pieces, at the expense of complete nutrition.

SUPPLEMENT: Your bird's feed diet, especially if it's seed-based, may not contain all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrition necessary to have ideal plumage and skin health.

LIGHTING: Sunlight is important for your bird in order to maintain vitamin levels and healthy plumage. A safe way to provide necessary sunlight to all birds is with the use of an artificial, full-spectrum light for no more than ten hours per day.

MOISTURE: Birds' feathers do better in slightly humid conditions because of the added moisture that is in the air. At home, we can provide our pet birds a fine-mist spray or take them into the shower with us. Some pet birds prefer wide bowls of water or moist leaves to rub up against. All of these methods of bathing give our pet birds the ability to help keep their feathers clean.
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Source links and credits - :thumb661941278:

Healthy foods for feathers www.thespruce.com/vitamin-rich…
General bird health care from CDC www.cdc.gov/healthypets/pets/b…
In depth look at bird feathers www.petcha.com/an-in-depth-loo…
Advice from a vet www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/art…
Improving feather quality birdcareco-shop.com/improving-…
Special thanks to all the DA members who shared their gorgeous photos and artwork that made this article possible!

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