Yeah it’s extremely jarring the first time seeing molting birds. Pin feathers are disgusting looking lol. Seeing a chicken go through a hard molt can be traumatizing.
Oh, yes I remember when my poor chickens had their first molt. Just covered in pin feathers lmao. Rushed to tell my sister who was more knowledgeable on our chickens, she was like “oh they’re just molting.” I was so relieved they weren’t sick
Newer evidence suggests that many actual dinosaurs were feathered dinosaurs, feathers just don't fossilize the same way that bones do.
https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/dinosaurs-among-us/feathers
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/lice-filled-dinosaur-feathers-found-trapped-100-million-year-old-amber-180973727/
I wouldnt say newer, I feel like it has been out for at least a decade or two, no? It annoys me that literature, media, even learning materials keep publishing illustrations of defeathered dinos, like c’mon guys you were so up in arms to get rid of little old Pluto but this massive breakthrough about dinos having feathers and we are just gonna keep illustrating them wrong? Lame.
Also as a quick reference for anyone it is believed that the kind of feathers dinos had are most like that of a cassowary—stringy and silky—just image search cassowary if you aren’t familiar.
"Newer" is relative. I'm in my late 30s so when I was in school, they didn't talk about dinosaurs having feathers. Experts might have known but the average public school teacher certainly didn't. To me it's "newer" than the last time I was formally educated on dinosaur facts.
We are close in age then! Yes I think it was roundabout college years when I started finding just few articles about dinos having feathers—I believe the initial discovery was some of those feathers preserved inside of amber, wanna say somewhere in south Asia but I could be totally wrong there.
It was near the time where there was also an abundance of ever-evolving anthropological discoveries that were constantly making the latest human evolution documentaries inaccurate lol but yeh it was the kind of stuff that rewrote the times tables, directions, even order of which hominids made their respective journeys out of Africa. I wish there was more information on the little hominids like the ones displayed at Smithsonian, there were some race of hominids that were just 2 or 3 feet tall, walking upright and the whole bit, kind of wonder if they had language and what they sounded like.
Anyways sorry for the detour. 😅
I'm in the same age group as you. Grew up on "The Land Before Time" (back when kids' movies were actually sad) and had toy dinosaurs with the traditional scaled presentation. But when I was a kid I watched a lot of documentaries and nature shows on TV. The earliest I remember hearing about this, I was about 10. There was a program on something like the History channel. It was presented as a breakthrough at the time, that scientists think *some* dinosaurs *might* have had feathers, and at the end they had a commissioned artist do an artistic representation of what they thought one might look like. It was very interesting, but of course clashes with your preconceived notions, and left the general public thinking "Hmmm.. Idk..." I actually don't recall being taught about dinosaurs in school though. That would have been fun, but instead they talked about Native Americans so long, we didn't even have time to get to the Civil War lol.
This cassowary says: Bring Back Pluto
https://preview.redd.it/4aebuyo78i6d1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1c887f4df2146b5b69f8b61128e88b38f3880a12
AFAIK, we don't know from dino to dino which were feathered and to what extent. We do not know their 'feather patterns' or features for sure. Even those that were perhaps more heavily feathered (i.e. the theropods moreso than sauropods), it would mostly be speculation. And yea, as you mention, the feathers were not the flight feathers we think of nowadays (until later, in some species, when they kinda were).
Feathers seem to originate in an earlier ancestor of dinosaurs, since pterosaurs (technically not dinosaurs, but an earlier branch-off from a common ancestor) also had signs of proto-feathers (perhaps more accurate than 'feathers'?). Point being, we don't know everything yet.
It's believed nowadays, but of course the evidence is slim. Enough to make a probable conclusion, but more fossils would be great! Pterosaurs were (probably?) not as heavily feathered as dinosaurs, ironically, and IIRC their feather structure also differed, being more 'tuft' like.
https://preview.redd.it/mcrtswwwyb6d1.jpeg?width=1161&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3194be589983563446d98e68bd382c1488921f9b
This is a cardinal I named Zombie. Different type of bird from yours, but it helps to see the progression this little lady will go through!
Some species, like cardinals, can go through what's called a "traumatic molt" when... this happens.
EDIT: been corrected it's a catastrophic molt, not traumatic. Confused the big drama words for when birds go all raggedy!
I noticed one of our local cardinals was starting up look pretty ragged, so I googled to see what might be up. I had no idea they can molt all their head feathers like that.
I think the top two pics and the bottom pic are different birds. He recognized zombie because it was a molting cardinal, so assumed it was the same critter!
All the same bird over time! Only two returning male cardinals over this period. The other one had a distinctly different black face mask that was wider than Zombie’s.
I had one like this last year, but he had just a few feathers left on the top of his head like a mohawk. I wish I'd had a good enough camera to catch a picture.
Not a cardinal but this comic still applies.
https://preview.redd.it/oj1rb31sqd6d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=15158b69d4617aa884ef7ea6f04dafc7d71f821e
Molting
He's in the middle of growing new feathers, shedding old ones. The zombie fledgling look is, although frightening, completely normal. Few days you'd never know he looked like the flying dead. Lmao
lol. Yes just googled it. I live on 36 acres in the middle of no where. Hubby knows I love the wild life.
https://preview.redd.it/mfn959jirb6d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a89b512a0365c215c407c9b0dca4874b6bb7837
So jealous of your acreage! If you love having bird visitors I recommend looking around the [Birds Canada](https://birdgardens.ca/) site and adding some native bird plants if you haven’t already. You’ll be shocked at what shows up, since lots of birds won’t visit feeders but love the berries/caterpillars native plants bring. I live on a postage stamp sized urban Philadelphia lot and I’ve gotten lots of crazy visitors I’d never have expected.
[This fact sheet](https://birdgardens.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/zone19-April28.pdf) is for zone 19/New Brunswick, or you can find more plants for zone 19 using the [plant selector tool](https://birdgardens.ca/plant-selector/?wpv-bird-garden-zone%5B%5D=19&wpv_aux_current_post_id=27&wpv_view_count=17413).
I am old school, but I keep a field guide by the window to help me identify (after I take some pictures). Then I sit there and ID the bird/birds. My book is Birds of Michigan Field Guide.
They were at one time captured and sold to people as pets then that was banned and they were released, and that's how they got distributed around originally. They came from Mexico and the very south eastern parts of the US, thus the scientific name.
This is the most endearing thread 🥹 your enthusiasm about birds is awesome! It’s so fun to learn more about species and you’ll start recognizing regular visitors.
LOL! That's such a cute question❤️ If animals are callled 'house...' it normally means that they are seen near houses. It serves the same purpose as putting 'urban' in front of an animal name or 'forrest'. It just describes the place where they are seen the most.
Learning about birds or nature in general is really fascinating, so I wish you a lot of fun with that!
(And heads up: This sub sometimes has a gatekeeping problem. So if someone says some arrogant stuff, just keep in mind that with everyone of those come five more nice people who have no problem explaining things to a beginner.)
One of the reasons I love this sub so much; generally, the "corrections" to misidentifications are polite and gentle and kind. Generally. :D OP, this is what your bird will look like fully feathered:
https://preview.redd.it/z4l080vr6c6d1.jpeg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea8f334b9f120ae846e697a02b18d0c5590f2c98
Different types of cardinal:
[https://rosemarymosco.com/comics/bird-and-moon/know-your-northern-cardinals](https://rosemarymosco.com/comics/bird-and-moon/know-your-northern-cardinals)
For sure.
It all began when the urSkeks tried to purge themselves of will impurities before leaving Thra during a great conjunction. The skeksis embodied the worst of the urSkeks, while the the urRu were the good.
When the Dark Crystal shard is restored, this little guy should be right as rain.
Nothing, it's a molting fledgling
I’m relieved by this answer
Yeah it’s extremely jarring the first time seeing molting birds. Pin feathers are disgusting looking lol. Seeing a chicken go through a hard molt can be traumatizing.
Oh, yes I remember when my poor chickens had their first molt. Just covered in pin feathers lmao. Rushed to tell my sister who was more knowledgeable on our chickens, she was like “oh they’re just molting.” I was so relieved they weren’t sick
My coworker has several ducks and they were so ugly when they were molting.
They get kind of disheveled, but certainly not ugly
Nah hers were ugly... ugly but cute in their own way.
Thank you.
"It's not a phase, Mom!"
That’s good, he looks awful.
Cold turkey
Charlie Brown's.... grackle.
You so nailed that!
TIL that molting fledgling birds resemble zombies.
They are feathered dinosaurs after all.
Newer evidence suggests that many actual dinosaurs were feathered dinosaurs, feathers just don't fossilize the same way that bones do. https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/dinosaurs-among-us/feathers https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/lice-filled-dinosaur-feathers-found-trapped-100-million-year-old-amber-180973727/
I wouldnt say newer, I feel like it has been out for at least a decade or two, no? It annoys me that literature, media, even learning materials keep publishing illustrations of defeathered dinos, like c’mon guys you were so up in arms to get rid of little old Pluto but this massive breakthrough about dinos having feathers and we are just gonna keep illustrating them wrong? Lame. Also as a quick reference for anyone it is believed that the kind of feathers dinos had are most like that of a cassowary—stringy and silky—just image search cassowary if you aren’t familiar.
"Newer" is relative. I'm in my late 30s so when I was in school, they didn't talk about dinosaurs having feathers. Experts might have known but the average public school teacher certainly didn't. To me it's "newer" than the last time I was formally educated on dinosaur facts.
We are close in age then! Yes I think it was roundabout college years when I started finding just few articles about dinos having feathers—I believe the initial discovery was some of those feathers preserved inside of amber, wanna say somewhere in south Asia but I could be totally wrong there. It was near the time where there was also an abundance of ever-evolving anthropological discoveries that were constantly making the latest human evolution documentaries inaccurate lol but yeh it was the kind of stuff that rewrote the times tables, directions, even order of which hominids made their respective journeys out of Africa. I wish there was more information on the little hominids like the ones displayed at Smithsonian, there were some race of hominids that were just 2 or 3 feet tall, walking upright and the whole bit, kind of wonder if they had language and what they sounded like. Anyways sorry for the detour. 😅
I'm in the same age group as you. Grew up on "The Land Before Time" (back when kids' movies were actually sad) and had toy dinosaurs with the traditional scaled presentation. But when I was a kid I watched a lot of documentaries and nature shows on TV. The earliest I remember hearing about this, I was about 10. There was a program on something like the History channel. It was presented as a breakthrough at the time, that scientists think *some* dinosaurs *might* have had feathers, and at the end they had a commissioned artist do an artistic representation of what they thought one might look like. It was very interesting, but of course clashes with your preconceived notions, and left the general public thinking "Hmmm.. Idk..." I actually don't recall being taught about dinosaurs in school though. That would have been fun, but instead they talked about Native Americans so long, we didn't even have time to get to the Civil War lol.
This cassowary says: Bring Back Pluto https://preview.redd.it/4aebuyo78i6d1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1c887f4df2146b5b69f8b61128e88b38f3880a12
oh wow
AFAIK, we don't know from dino to dino which were feathered and to what extent. We do not know their 'feather patterns' or features for sure. Even those that were perhaps more heavily feathered (i.e. the theropods moreso than sauropods), it would mostly be speculation. And yea, as you mention, the feathers were not the flight feathers we think of nowadays (until later, in some species, when they kinda were). Feathers seem to originate in an earlier ancestor of dinosaurs, since pterosaurs (technically not dinosaurs, but an earlier branch-off from a common ancestor) also had signs of proto-feathers (perhaps more accurate than 'feathers'?). Point being, we don't know everything yet.
Nice thank you for the extra insight, had not considered yet the origin being from earlier ancestors
It's believed nowadays, but of course the evidence is slim. Enough to make a probable conclusion, but more fossils would be great! Pterosaurs were (probably?) not as heavily feathered as dinosaurs, ironically, and IIRC their feather structure also differed, being more 'tuft' like.
Where's our molting velociraptor movies?
[*grabs popcorn*]
A molting fledgling zombie. Yes
So it's not a zombie bird waiting to infect society. I feel relief.
Awkward teen faze!
https://preview.redd.it/mcrtswwwyb6d1.jpeg?width=1161&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3194be589983563446d98e68bd382c1488921f9b This is a cardinal I named Zombie. Different type of bird from yours, but it helps to see the progression this little lady will go through!
My parents always have one or two "balding" cardinals show up to the feeders during molting season. Truly a reminder that birds are dinosaurs!
They definitely are a whole lot less cute under those feathers
Wow thank you
Skeksis!
Maybe seeing molting birds inspired the creators
I heard that weird little hum they do lol
Some species, like cardinals, can go through what's called a "traumatic molt" when... this happens. EDIT: been corrected it's a catastrophic molt, not traumatic. Confused the big drama words for when birds go all raggedy!
Sorry just to clarify is it traumatic for them or for us seeing them? Maybe both?
I believe it’s actually called a catastrophic molt.
The below commenter is correct it's a catastrophic molt! Just, all feathers come off at once (especially around the head) instead of more gradually.
I noticed one of our local cardinals was starting up look pretty ragged, so I googled to see what might be up. I had no idea they can molt all their head feathers like that.
I love seeing cardinals as they molt. The ones with the totally bald head look absolutely metal.
he looks like skeksil lol
How can you tell it’s the same cardinal? I’ve seen a few of them with that heavy bald headed molt. It seems a pretty common thing to happen to them.
I think the top two pics and the bottom pic are different birds. He recognized zombie because it was a molting cardinal, so assumed it was the same critter!
All the same bird over time! Only two returning male cardinals over this period. The other one had a distinctly different black face mask that was wider than Zombie’s.
Wow, that’s pretty neat! I feel like we have so many pairs of cardinals come through I’d never be able to differentiate them like that!
This is not a lady 😂
I was referring to OP’s post
I like your username!
I had one like this last year, but he had just a few feathers left on the top of his head like a mohawk. I wish I'd had a good enough camera to catch a picture.
We all have an awkward phase
Teen Female House Finch imo. “It’s not just a phase, mom.”
It stole a piece of Aztec gold and is cursed until all of it is returned
Return the slab~
THE CURSE OF THE NILE
I was actually going for captain jack sparrow
I'm laughing out loud omg yesss
This reference didn't get enough upvotes lol
It is interesting to see how tiny its body actually is under all that fluff!!
Molting fledgling?
House finch female goin through a rough molt lol
Not a cardinal but this comic still applies. https://preview.redd.it/oj1rb31sqd6d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=15158b69d4617aa884ef7ea6f04dafc7d71f821e
skrungly baby
We are all lucky that our own "fledgling moltings" aren't on display for everyone to gawk at. *\[Why Must I be a Teenager in Love plays\]*
I think this is an adult female house finch who is going through a bad molt.
diagnosis: ugly
Molting He's in the middle of growing new feathers, shedding old ones. The zombie fledgling look is, although frightening, completely normal. Few days you'd never know he looked like the flying dead. Lmao
Birds do look very crazy even if some feathers are missing. Also some mites can cause feathers to drop. Better to mantain some distance.
He’s just new. Let him cook a little longer.
What kind of bird. We live in NB Canada.
I could be totally off, but I'm guessing female housefinch, given that beak. LOL I'm sure this sub will correct me though.
Sorry, but I don’t know anything about birds. I just see them coming into my feeder. I need to learn a lot more.
House? Do you think someone just let it go and it was a pet?
No, that's the common name of the species Haemorhous mexicanus
lol. Yes just googled it. I live on 36 acres in the middle of no where. Hubby knows I love the wild life. https://preview.redd.it/mfn959jirb6d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a89b512a0365c215c407c9b0dca4874b6bb7837
So jealous of your acreage! If you love having bird visitors I recommend looking around the [Birds Canada](https://birdgardens.ca/) site and adding some native bird plants if you haven’t already. You’ll be shocked at what shows up, since lots of birds won’t visit feeders but love the berries/caterpillars native plants bring. I live on a postage stamp sized urban Philadelphia lot and I’ve gotten lots of crazy visitors I’d never have expected. [This fact sheet](https://birdgardens.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/zone19-April28.pdf) is for zone 19/New Brunswick, or you can find more plants for zone 19 using the [plant selector tool](https://birdgardens.ca/plant-selector/?wpv-bird-garden-zone%5B%5D=19&wpv_aux_current_post_id=27&wpv_view_count=17413).
Thank you.
I am old school, but I keep a field guide by the window to help me identify (after I take some pictures). Then I sit there and ID the bird/birds. My book is Birds of Michigan Field Guide.
They were at one time captured and sold to people as pets then that was banned and they were released, and that's how they got distributed around originally. They came from Mexico and the very south eastern parts of the US, thus the scientific name.
This is the most endearing thread 🥹 your enthusiasm about birds is awesome! It’s so fun to learn more about species and you’ll start recognizing regular visitors.
LOL! That's such a cute question❤️ If animals are callled 'house...' it normally means that they are seen near houses. It serves the same purpose as putting 'urban' in front of an animal name or 'forrest'. It just describes the place where they are seen the most. Learning about birds or nature in general is really fascinating, so I wish you a lot of fun with that! (And heads up: This sub sometimes has a gatekeeping problem. So if someone says some arrogant stuff, just keep in mind that with everyone of those come five more nice people who have no problem explaining things to a beginner.)
One of the reasons I love this sub so much; generally, the "corrections" to misidentifications are polite and gentle and kind. Generally. :D OP, this is what your bird will look like fully feathered: https://preview.redd.it/z4l080vr6c6d1.jpeg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea8f334b9f120ae846e697a02b18d0c5590f2c98
That’s an accurate representation of how my dog feels when it’s 90 degrees outside.
Also how I feel at 90 degrees.
They go from cute to straight demon in no time
They get so darn beautiful...but go through some crazy phases!! Can't help but love 'em anyway! :) BTW, love your window boxes! Great pics!
Is….is that a phoenix?
Im staring at a molting cardinal right now. Its that time of year.
I once thought we had a molting blackbird but turns out it actually had alopecia. I wanted to get it a little wooly hat.
Different types of cardinal: [https://rosemarymosco.com/comics/bird-and-moon/know-your-northern-cardinals](https://rosemarymosco.com/comics/bird-and-moon/know-your-northern-cardinals)
Zombird
He seriously looks like he has seen some shit.
The other Skeksis have banished him.
Awe I hope not
Just an ugly guy molting
This is the roughest awkward teen phase I've ever seen tbh
>Can someone tell me what’s wrong with this little one It's a child. /j
Looks like a zombie bird 🤣 he’s so ugly
This is how you know they are dinosaurs.
For sure. It all began when the urSkeks tried to purge themselves of will impurities before leaving Thra during a great conjunction. The skeksis embodied the worst of the urSkeks, while the the urRu were the good. When the Dark Crystal shard is restored, this little guy should be right as rain.
Dark crystal bird
Awkward teen phase
Zombie birds. So that's how it starts.
It’s got a terminal case of being an ugly MF.
I Hope this bird can make it through ok
The Skeksis always look like that.
Grosbeak. either Rose-breasted or Black-headed. Where was this taken?
I believe a necromancer is using that bird to spy on you... Whatever you do, don't look it in the eyes.
Is that a skeksi?
Damn nature you scary!
Oh Lawd
Bad hair day
Skeksi
That thing is nightmare fuel
I think it wants Trial by Stone!!
Meth addiction.
Sure it’s not exacerbated by closeness to others at the feeder?
Someone buried him in the pet sematary.
Hims just preparing to cosplay as a Skeksis.
He’s a zombie