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K Dempsey
Medford, NJ, USA
When I first saw this male cardinal with no feathers on his head, I thought I was hallucinating. His head looked like a mini turkey vulture. I started keeping an eye out for him so I could get pics. I don’t have a great setup for that, but I got a few that prove I wasn’t hallucinating. ;->
I’ve been seeing him around since mid-May, so over a month now. He doesn’t visit as frequently as my regular “cardinal couple,” and he sometimes has a female with him. Both appear healthy.
Unusual feathers & bills
Hi, this could be caused by one of two things. It is most likely molting, judging by the time of year. Blue Jays and Cardinals pretty commonly lose all of their head feathers during molting. It could also be mites though.
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