Plucking and picking and chevronning

Giant Bird is a feather-plucker. Nobody knows yet what exactly causes feather-plucking; there are many physical causes theorized, and even more psychological ones. Recent studies suggest it's a heritable trait, but that doesn't clear it up very much.

In Giant Bird's case, it seems to be related to stress. Physically he's pretty healthy, for a bird who spent most of his life malnourished and semi-neglected; the main physical causes are ruled out. That leaves avian versions of OCD, depression, anxiety, or something yet not understood.

Over the past couple of years, Giant Bird has plucked less than when I first got him. When he arrived, his chest was completely bare; these days, he lets down feathers grow in, and has even started chevronning (biting off the ends) of some contour feathers instead of pulling them out entirely. He still looks bedraggled and moth-eaten, and probably always will, but the progress he's made suggests that there could be even more improvement in the future. One hopes. And until then, I'll keep telling him how good he looks anyway.