Bad hair day

Bad hair day

We’ve all had one. I recently came across this Eastern Yellow Robin whose bad hair day didn’t seem to trouble him too much as he continued to dive onto unsuspecting prey in the leaf litter around his tree.

Recently fledged Eastern Yellow Robin

As their feathers grow old, birds will undergo periodic shedding of the dead feathers and replace with new (pin) feathers. The process can be energy-draining for some birds, sometimes rendering them flightless for a short period.

Almost there

Nestlings and fledglings also undergo a moult as they rapidly grow. Often their plumage changes dramatically as the go from fluffy, insulating or camouflaged appearance to the final adult bird.

Finally not a hair out of place