Bald Blue Jays Pick Plenty Of Peanuts At Cornell Feeders

Ever wonder what’s the deal with all the bald-looking Blue Jays visiting the Cornell Lab FeederWatch Cam lately?

In late summer and early fall, the affected birds have dropped their head feathers simultaneously during molting, resulting in individuals being nearly bald for about a week. Watch a few jays at various stages of baldness visit the Cornell Lab FeederWatch Cam to pick peanuts!

According to Cornell Lab’s Project FeederWatch, many of these strange-looking birds may be juveniles undergoing their first prebasic molt, which produces the first winter adult plumage. For Blue Jays, this molt pattern is considered normal, and this molt pattern also happens with enough frequency in Northern Cardinal populations to be considered within the normal range. Have you seen any bald birds this month?

Learn more about unusual-looking birds from Project FeederWatch.