Feather-plucking
A maladaptive disorder in captive birds involving self-plucking of feathers.
Feather-plucking, also known as feather-picking, feather damaging behaviour, or pterotillomania, is a maladaptive behavioural disorder seen in captive birds, particularly parrots. It involves birds chewing, biting, or plucking their own feathers, leading to damage to feathers and sometimes skin, with an estimated 10% of captive parrots exhibiting the condition.
- Field
- Animal behaviour, veterinary medicine
- Known for
- Self-directed feather damage in captive birds, especially parrots
- Affected species
- Captive birds, particularly parrots (order Psittaciformes)
- Prevalence in captive parrots
- approximately 10%
- Related human disorder
- trichotillomania
Lore & Background
Feather-plucking is considered a multifactorial disorder, with three main aspects of bird keeping related to the problem: restricted cage size, barren environments that fail to meet behavioural needs, and solitary housing that neglects social requirements. Early experience, such as poor socialisation or absence of parents during rearing, may prevent birds from learning appropriate preening behaviour. Isolation from conspecifics can lead to separation anxiety, loneliness, boredom, sexual frustration, and attention-seeking, though no empirical studies have tested these ideas. Increasing environmental complexity and foraging opportunities can reduce feather-plucking; for example, providing food in pipe feeders increased foraging time by 73 minutes daily and improved plumage within one month in grey parrots.
Reader's Guide
Feather-plucking is significant as a common behavioural disorder in captive parrots, reflecting the challenges of meeting the psychological and social needs of intelligent, social birds in captivity. The condition shares characteristics with trichotillomania in humans and hair-pulling in other mammals, suggesting a comparative psychology approach to treatment. Causes include social, environmental, medical, and genetic factors; for instance, orange-winged amazon parrots housed near a door showed more plucking, and affected birds had higher corticosterone levels. Treatment options include environmental enrichment, veterinary care, and psychotropic drugs like haloperidol, clomipramine, and fluoxetine, though responses vary and relapses are common. The disorder highlights the importance of addressing underlying causes rather than using physical barriers or bitter sprays. Its study informs captive animal welfare and comparative psychology.
Did You Know?
- Feather-plucking is estimated to occur in about 10% of captive parrots.
- The disorder is distinct from feather pecking in poultry, which involves birds pecking at other individuals.
- Orange-winged amazon parrots housed near a door showed significantly more feather-plucking than those further away.
- Administration of haloperidol caused long-term reduction in feather-plucking, but birds relapsed when medication was withdrawn.
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