Bald Blackbirds..

[Wakey Dave]

Thanks For the reply. Strange one this eh? Will keep all informed should I find any info of relevance. Thanks again


WD

[franE]

I always thought this chap, who has been the owner of our garden for at least 2 years now, was just going grey (He has been like it all this year). He is forever feeding young and never seems to feed himself, and we have lost count of the number of clutches he seems to have had this year. He also seems to have paired up with a number of different females (is that feasible?). He is aggressive to other birds (robins, tits, other male blackbirds etc): a real "alpha male" if such a thing exists among blackbirds. He lost his tail feathers to a cat about three weeks ago, and was taking off and landing like a duck as well as bumping into things for at least a week. Amazing how fast feathers grow back though -but not on his head! ...anyway, I happened to have a camera with me this morning.

[jaykay]

I too have two male blackbirds who are rather "thinning on top"! although one has shown some signs of getting his feathers back.

[valleyforge]

Hi there franE and welcome to the forum.

Baldness in male blackbirds is normally a transitory condition due to natural moult, so it is unusal for the condition to be noticable all year.

In a close-up view of your photo, there's no obvious scarring or evidence of a scalping injury (where the skin has been torn away and then regrown), but I guess it is possible that the feathers around the forehead and base of the beak may have been plucked, such that regrowth is no longer possible ... perhaps in a territorial battle with another male blackbird.

I have known male blackbirds to set up a parallel nest with one other female and be successful in raising two broods, but if your bird is doing more than that he really must be a super-dad (and little wonder he's gone bald)

[aland]

Valleyforge as it spot on, Our male black birds have the same problem, Another bird that ends up looking rough is the blue tits, They work so hard with a large brood and perhaps another soon after, They can also lose weight, aland.

[stick of rock]

Good news from Derby
Bald blackbird's feathers have grown back completely
He is indeed a handsome chap now. We now put it down to zealous parenting depleting his system.
He and his partner still defend their territory (our small garden feeding area) and we hope to see his offspring next spring .... perhaps two broods would suffice next year ?