Bald Blue Jay Joins Feathered Friends At The Cornell Feeders

A couple of very normal-looking Blue Jays are joined for a moment by an individual whose head is practically featherless! Despite the strange appearance, this is actually quite common at this time of year, especially for Blue Jays.

In late summer and fall, when a bird molts, it usually grows and replaces its feathers gradually, but occasionally a bird loses all the feathers on its head at once. This is particularly true of Blue Jays, many of which molt the feathers of the head, or “capital tract,” in synchrony. The result is a very strange looking bald bird! This bald appearance lasts for about a week before new feathers replace the molted ones.

Read more about unusual birds from Project FeederWatch.