When do cardinals molt

Weather here will start cooling down mid October so the Heats going to stay up there for at least another month and a half.

Hi Cory, Baldness is most common in Northern Cardinals and Blue Jays — they are the most likely species to go through this abnormal molt where all head feathers are molted at once. You can learn more about this phenomenon here. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Description This unusual Northern Cardinal frequented the feeder during the month of August. Category Bald-headed. Species Northern Cardinal.

This Northern Cardinal had been visiting the feeder several times in August Don says:. February 14, at am.

Claudia Catani says:. August 10, at am. Michele Murph says:. August 16, at pm. Gale T Kirby says:. September 14, at am. Holly Faulkner, Project Assistant says:. August 6, at am. Elaine Benjamin says:. August 5, at am. Kate SE Connecticut says:. April 11, at pm. Caren Shoemaker says:. July 30, at pm. August 28, at pm. September 14, at pm. Leslie says:. May 23, at pm. Erin Papaleo says:. July 13, at pm. Holly Grant, Project Assistant says:. July 14, at am. Dave says:. August 12, at pm. Anna Koufos says:.

August 14, at pm. Rick says:. August 18, at am. August 26, at am. Lisa says:. August 26, at pm. Justin says:. August 30, at am. N says:. September 7, at pm. Susan carter says:. September 10, at pm. Kate says:. September 11, at am. September 12, at am. Donna Ondik says:. April 22, at pm. April 23, at am. Chuck Hebert says:. April 26, at am. Lin B says:. May 2, at am. May 4, at pm. Carol says:. May 14, at pm. Eddie says:. May 17, at pm. Laura says:. May 21, at pm. Patricia says:. Cathy Beacher says:.

May 30, at pm. Bette says:. June 7, at am. Dan M says:. June 21, at pm. Jacob says:. June 24, at am. Hildegard McLemore says:. June 30, at am.

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Patti says:. July 31, at pm. Doreen OConnor says:. August 11, at am. August 12, at am. David says:. August 19, at pm. August 20, at am. Rachelle Antcliff says:. August 27, at am. Tracy Huffman says:.

September 9, at pm. Tammy Jo says:. October 17, at pm. November 4, at am. Alison NM says:. February 18, at pm. Melanie L Mathews says:. I finally decided the weather might be the reason and was trying to find backup data saying such.

Now, after reading this post about molting, that might be part of the problem too. Do you think the HOT weather has contributed to their hiding? Thanks and keep up the good work! Sharon, yes the hot weather makes them hide in whatever shade they can find, just like we do.

If you put out a bird bath you will see LOTS of birds. Good luck in the heat! I have a Cardinal that has a bald head and it is March 20th and it has been that way for several weeks?

Or is this possibly something else- parasite? The baldness might not be mites. He was tucked between two spindles in the railing on the stairs to my deck at about 11pm. He let my husband and I walk by we had to get within 6 inches or so without moving. He seemed really sad and I thought he might be sick or injured. He stayed without moving until I finally left him there. Anything to worry about?

I did take a photo! It might have been a baby robin that left on its own. Your email address will not be published. The adults are molting. North American Bird Bander 49— However, most individuals in Formative Plumage have molt limits or contrasts among feathers of the upperwing and tail, and retained worn, narrow, or brownish-tinged flight feathers contrasting with newly molted uniformly red to reddish flight feathers 66 Pyle, P.

Present in birds in their second autumn and beyond, primarily from September to the following August. Newly molted contour feathers of back and neck tipped with gray; by late winter or early spring, feather-tips are worn off and plumage attains maximum coloration 62 Bent, A. Close , JMJ. Upperparts plain grayish olive or buffy grayish; head with conspicuous crest, variably red to tipped red. Face mask variable: large and dark, much like that of male, to dull grayish, smaller and less distinct than that of male; sometimes nearly white on throat.

Upperwing greater coverts and secondaries duller red than primaries and rectrices; duller than those of male. Underparts pale fulvous or buffy, but some individuals can show nearly white coloration on abdomen. Plumage often with small numbers of red or red-tinged feathers above eye, and among auriculars and feathers of the upper breast and flanks. Underwing secondary coverts light orange to light red ; in Ohio 29 Linville, S. Breitwisch, and A. Schilling Plumage brightness as an indicator of parental care in male and female Northern Cardinals.

Animal Behaviour — Close , female underwing coverts ranged from 8. In Mississippi, reflectance measures of underwing plumage from color reflectance spectrometer peak in the — nm range JMJ. Plumage primarily vermilion red, with black face mask that surrounds bill, extends back to eye, and covers chin and throat.

Head with conspicuous crest. Red brightest on auricular region, cheeks, and breast. Upperwing greater coverts and secondaries duller red than primaries and rectrices. Contour feathers of back and neck have olive-gray Munsell 7. Rump and uppertail coverts not distinctly lighter in color than back, crest duller red than breast. Underwing secondary coverts as in female. In Ohio, male red breast color ranged from 7. In Mississippi, highest reflectance measures of red upper-breast plumage from color reflectance spectrometer data peak in the — nm range JMJ.

Individuals in Definitive Basic Plumage are separated from most individuals in Formative Plumage by lack of molt limits or contrasts among feathers of the upperwing coverts and among flight feathers of the wing and tail see Formative Plumage.

Rather, the definitive basic upperwing coverts and flight feathers of the wing and tail are uniformly red to reddish, without contrasting worn, narrow, or brownish-tinged feathers 66 Pyle, P. After complete Preformative Molt, birds in Formative plumage are usually indistinguishable from Definitive Basic Plumage adults by plumage.

Carotenoid pigments are important components in the plumage of many birds. Unusual carotenoid use by the Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana and its evolutionary implications. Canadian Journal of Zoology — Close , 72 McGraw, K. Hill, and R. Parker Carotenoid pigments in a mutant Cardinal: implications for the genetic and enzymatic control mechanisms of carotenoid metabolism in birds.

McGraw et al. Close suggested the individual might have lacked enzymes necessary for conversion of yellow carotenoids to red forms. Hill, R. Stradi, and R.

The influence of carotenoid acquisition and utilization on the maintenance of species-typical plumage pigmentation in male American Goldfinches Carduelis tristis and Northern Cardinals Cardinalis cardinalis. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 74 6 : — The authors noted that breast feathers grown by males in captivity were less densely pigmented than those of wild caught males 73 McGraw, K.

Close , 74 McGraw, K. Hill Carotenoid access and intraspecific variation in plumage pigmentation in male American Goldfinches Carduelis tristis and Northern Cardinals Cardinals cardinalis.

Functional Ecology 15 6 : — This work shows that cardinals are able to enzymatically alter carotenoids obtained from their diet prior to deposition into feathers; however, the underlying physiological and enzymatic contributions to the range of differences in individual coloration reported among adults of both sexes e. Sexual selection and plumage ornamentation in a socially monogamous passerine, the Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis.

Close , 76 Wolfenbarger, L. Red coloration of male northern cardinals correlates with mate quality and territory quality. Behavioral Ecology 80— Close , 77 Wolfenbarger, L.

Is red coloration of male Northern Cardinals beneficial during the nonbreeding season? Condor 3 : — Close , 78 Wolfenbarger, L. Female mate choice in Northern Cardinals: Is there a preference for redder males?

Wilson Bulletin 1 : 76— Close remain to be studied. The black face mask in both sexes is melanin-based coloration, a pigment type that is independent of diet. In a Mississippi population, male and female testosterone levels were measured through the molt period in captive individuals and it was found that females with higher average testosterone throughout the molt period grew darker face mask feathers C.

Winters and JMJ, unpublished data. This association did not hold for males. Assessment of carotenoid-based plumage for ultraviolet reflectance has not found significant ultraviolet signatures in either sex 76 Wolfenbarger, L. Close ; melanin-based plumage needs to be assessed for ultraviolet signatures.

Individuals having a mix of male and female plumage infrequently reported from across the species range. See for an example of mixed plumage; the pictured individual, apparently female, was initially thought to be male, but was captured when flushed from a nest where it appeared to be incubating eggs.

This bird had an incubation patch, and the nest produced 3 fledglings, fed by both this individual and its social mate, a male with definitive male coloration.

Older females of many bird species can obtain male-like plumage as androgen levels decline with age resulting in greater hormonal effects of testosterone 79 Lindsay, W. Barron, M. Webster, and H. Schwabi Testosterone activates sexual dimorphism including male-typical carotenoid but not melanin plumage pigmentation in a female bird. Journal of Experimental Biology — Other individuals, potentially bilateral gynandromorphs, have been reported with red on one side and gray-olive on the other 80 Laskey, A.

Bilaterial gynandrism in a Cardinal and a Rufous-sided Towhee. Auk Close , 81 Peer, B. Motz Observations of a bilateral gynandromorph Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis. Wilson Journal of Ornithology — Close , 82 Jones, A. Bartlett Ohio Biological Survey Notes 7: 14— Close , 83 Tumlison, R. Sasse, H. Robison, M. Connior, C. McCallister, K.

Jobe, and M. Anderson Vertebrate natural history notes from Arkansas, Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 72 Article 7. Close ; development and fertility of potential gynandromorphs needs additional assessment in this and other avian species. Also reported are leucistic and partially leucistic individuals e. White-headed Cardinal.

Bird-Banding Close , 85 Winstead, N. Aberrantly-colored yellow Northern Cardinals. Mississippi Kite 40— Close , also in Alabama and Georgia in , and Florida in , a dilute individual , and a melanistic male with a black head 86 Brooks, M.

A melanistic Cardinal at French Creek. Redstart 1: 1—2. One rare instance of a banded female that obtained male plumage color in year 5 among 8 years of recapture; she returned to female color in year 6 87 Baumgartner, A. Sex-reversal in banded Cardinal. North American Bird Bander