Face feather thinning

[conmax]

my 23 yr old Greenwing has thinning pin feathers on her face. this is especially apparent above her beak between her nostrils. also the skin between her beak and eyes. she seems healthy and not in stress. her feathers everywhere else are fine. she has never been a feather plucker and her feathers are vibrant and dense. she does scratch her head vigorously including those areas that are thinning. anyone have any ideas of what causes this and if there anything that can be done to improve it?

this has been noticeable during the last 6 months. the avian vets are currently not open to see birds unless they are in an acute condition.

 

[MonicaMc]

Sounds like you may have answered your own question.... vigorous scratching. Excessive rubbing of any area can rub off the feathers....

There are vets taking "drop off" type appointments... you wait out in the car as they do exam inside. Might be worth seeing if you can find such a vet?



The feather loss doesn't sound like a big issue to me.... but the scratching sounds like a *possible* issue.

 

[conmax]

thanks for the reply. although I did a video con call with our avian vet, she was unable to provide any meaningful information on cause or treatment. she did say balanced diet, lots of attention, lots of sleep, all good advice but already practiced. she has always scratched her head and other places often and I haven't noticed any change in frequency or duration. I just hope it is not permanent.