All birds molt, meaning they grow new feathers, sort of like we are always growing new skin. Some birds lose a few feathers at a time, and you hardly notice. Then, there are the cardinals that lose big chunks of feathers around their heads and look like something out of a Spielberg movie.
But recently, I noticed that my small group of crows, usually three, also have feather afflictions. One of the crows has barely any feathers on his neck and looks like a turkey buzzard.
Crows, like most birds, molt once a year. They don’t replace all feathers at the same time, however. That would render them flightless and without protection from the elements while new feathers grew. The molt is accomplished a few feathers at a time, apparently starting with neck feathers.
The crows make regular visits to my yard to pick up any leftovers from my bird feeding endeavors, and if they find a piece of bread, they always dunk it in the birdbath before wolfing down.
I don’t mind have the crows around because they discourage the hawks from swooping in and grabbing one of my songbirds. I just wish the crows weren’t so scary looking.
