All change for birds
It’s moulting time for our year-round friends
It’s a bit quiet out there, isn’t it? All of a sudden, it’s as though all the birds have gone. Of course, some have. For example, swifts make their presence felt on summer evenings by swooping around in little flocks, screeching as they go. And then, in August, they disappear. On the day ours head off to Africa, I’m always struck by how quiet it becomes.
Other summer visitors are heading south, too, and even many of our year-round bird neighbours are a lot less noticeable at the end of August. They’re still around, but are keeping a low profile because late summer’s the time for many to go through their annual moult.
Moulting involves shedding old, tired feathers so that new ones can take their place. When the process is done and dusted, all-new feathers mean that a bird is wellequipped for the cold and wet of winter.
Different species moult in different ways, but for most of our garden birds, late summer’s just right. The responsibilities of raising a family are now in the past, food is relatively easy to find and there’s a window of fair weather.
And, by the end of the summer, many adult birds are badly in need of a makeover – feathers are worn and battered, or missing altogether. Losing the lot is quite a drain on an individual and while the process is happening, birds are vulnerable and find it more difficult to fly. So most disappear into undergrowth and keep out of the way until their transformation has taken place.
As each new feather comes through, its predecessor pops out of its follicle, in the same way adult teeth push out our baby teeth. Usually, the more important feathers, such as those on the wings, are shed in pairs. It means that a bird maintains some sort of balance and symmetry.
The duration of the ordeal varies from species to species. Birds that migrate in late summer and early autumn tend to be the ones that have to go for a quick change. A blackcap has just a month to shed and replace all its feathers.
In contrast, year-round residents, such as blackbirds, go through a much more gradual process that takes a couple of months from start to finish. Don’t worry – normal service should be resumed as soon as possible!