The starling had free range of Corbo’s house and learned a wide vocal repertoire of words and songs. It’s a memoir of the author’s time with a starling that she raised from a nestling after she found it in her garden and was unable to return it to its nest. I learned something about how it feels to be a molting bird from the book Arnie the Darling Starling by Margarete Corbo. To add insult to injury, molting can also make a bird look quite homely. While wearing a motley array of old, yet-to-grow and new feathers that reduces flight performance and the ability to stay warm and dry, a bird must nonetheless find a high-quality food supply to fuel feather growth. Observations of pet bird owners as well as those of scientists tell us that molting is not an easy time for birds. They impart the ability to fly, provide weatherproof warmth and give birds their dashing good looks.īut feathers wear out quickly and in order to maintain peak performance, birds molt (replace old feathers with new feathers) at least once a year. Seriously.įeathers are a bird’s defining feature. In fact, it can make birds downright grumpy. Perhaps you’re familiar with having a “bad hair day.” For birds, “bad feather days” – what we call molting – are a part of life.
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