Worried About A Blue Tit

[May]

The male blue tit which fathered the babies (that sadly didn't make it) that we had in our garden has returned. Now he always looked a little worse for wear, but I've noticed, as he's been using the window feeders, that he has no feathers on his head at all, well he maybe has two, but basically he's bald.

He looks such a pitiful little thing, I feel so sorry for him. He seems healthy enough baldness aside, looks a good size, but I worry about the lack of head feathers. If he has mites will they spread and will he lose his other feathers? Could it be the result of a fight (feather pulling)? Or something else?

Is there anything we can do?

[nightshade]

Hi May,a lot of birds look decidedly shook during the breeding season,I cannot help with a reason they are I suppose just literally run ragged I would be interested to know the real reason

[May]

Well he looked like this when we first saw him, as he and Spike (the female) were checking out the nest box. As his head feathers were sparse, we named him Patchy-Cap .. but now he has none! It's such a sad sight. I hope it is just a breeding season state of affairs and nothing serious.

[Lincs Yellowbelly]

He'll be ok, probably something to do with the breding season we do lose a lot of blue tits over the year, i read somewhere that if every Blue tit survived we'd have something like 32million in the country, but every spring we have around 8million, Its sad but thats life i guess

[May]

Originally Posted by Lincs Yellowbelly

He'll be ok, probably something to do with the breding season

That's good. I really hope he will be okay, he's such a little sweetheart