I photographed this RWB at the Savannah NWR this morning. When I loaded the image on to my PC, this startling malady atop the bird's head popped out at me. Is this a disease? I've not seen its like before. The refuge has a vibrant colony of RWBs in season and I have not seen this until now.
It may be mites. A cardinal was recently spotted in Massachusetts. It had a similar problem. The bird can get to the mites everywhere but the back of its head.
This info was emailed by an Audubon naturalist: "Thanks for the photos. The bird is a Northern Cardinal, but one infested with feather mites. Because the bird cannot preen it's head, the mites destroy the feathers on the head and expose the bird's black skin. When the feathers are no longer available, the feather mites move to other parts of the body where they can be removed by the bird.
This is a very common affliction at this time of year when birds are spending time in a nest. It’s rare for birds to die from this affliction and new feathers grow back in about a month."
The photo was taken by a friend of mine. Although the quality is not great, I think you can see the similarities.
Discussion
3 repliesThis info was emailed by an Audubon naturalist: "Thanks for the photos. The bird is a Northern Cardinal, but one infested with feather mites. Because the bird cannot preen it's head, the mites destroy the feathers on the head and expose the bird's black skin. When the feathers are no longer available, the feather mites move to other parts of the body where they can be removed by the bird.
This is a very common affliction at this time of year when birds are spending time in a nest. It’s rare for birds to die from this affliction and new feathers grow back in about a month."
The photo was taken by a friend of mine. Although the quality is not great, I think you can see the similarities.