Nasty looking male Cardinal

What do you think is wrong with him?

wow, maybe he was dropped as a baby bird? Birth defects?? That's so sad!

Probably feather mites. They eat the feathers, and are usually worst around the head where they are most difficult to preen out.

It will grow a new set of feathers in a month or two.

Resin

Thats what I thought but never saw a case this bad. Good to know he'll be better looking in the future. Thanks.

Merrrrr-cy, pelle !!

I'd wondered if he mite oughta replace his current tailor, or check the chifforobe for moths! .. (hee) ..

The serious scenario tho', it's truly sad for the birds - for ya know they've gotta be some gosh awfully miserable!

Like those that I've seen with the naystee ticks attached onto their heads - usually around their eyes! Makes ya want to try to catch 'em and dust 'em with mite powder and/or yank the ticks off of 'em. I'd never seen (perhaps had simply never 'noticed') a bird with ticks .. until a couple of years or so ago.

- Magpye

This message was edited May 21, 2007 6:24 PM

I have a yucky, personal mite story to tell. A few years ago, I had a nest of house finches on my back porch. A week or so after the birds left it, I removed the nest, and put it in a plastic bag waiting for trash day to throw it out. In the few seconds that I touched the nest, quite a few very tiny mites crawled onto my arm. I was unpleasantly surprised by this, and immediately washed them off. I then decided to leave the nest in the bag for a few more weeks before I threw it out. When that day came, I picked up the bag, feeling fairly confident that the mites couldn't be around any more, dumped it in my trash can, and went to work. Several hours later, while sitting at my computer, I began to feel bites around my waist. I rushed off to the bathroom to check myself out, and sure enough, I found a few mites biting me! I couldn't tell anyone at work about it, because it would probably make me a pariah. When I got home, I called the bird vet I use for my pet cockatiels, and asked them if these mites could infect my house, me or my dog. They assured me that although the mites can bite humans or a dog, they don't get the proper einvironment to reproduce, but I did have to be cautious with my pet birds. Luckily for us all, that was the end of the mite invasion. But for all subsequent nest removals, I now wear rubber gloves, and wait a LONG time before removing them. And I certainly felt bad for the bird babies and adults that had to live with them. I wonder if there is anything that is both nontoxic to the birds, and prevents or kills the mites in a bird house?

Susan in Minneapolis

Yikes, that made my skin crawl! I won't forget this once anyone nests in my yard.