My parakeet is losing feathers above her beak. Is she sick?

Question

My parakeet is losing feathers above her beak. Is she sick?

Answer 1

i think birds lose feathers when they are in heat?

Answer 2

no she is eighter growing up/ losing stripes or is molting

Answer 3

Magen pretty much listed all of them, the one she didnt metion was mites

Answer 4

Birds lose feathers because new ones grow in.

Answer 5

1) Vitamin deficiency. This is very common because many parrot owners aren't aware of the proper care and diet for birds. For example, all seed is a terrible diet. The most well-rounded diet for captive birds is a mix of 80% pellets, 10% fruits, veggies, grains, pastas, and 10% seeds. However, there are a multitude of signs for deficiencies such as poor plumage, feather loss, peeling beak, poor skin quality, looking less alert, etc.

2) Plucking. This is very huge. It could be from stress (household changes), boredom (lack of toys), health issues, separation anxiety, fear, itchiness, pain, etc, etc. These could be solved by finding the stresser in your home and slowly allowing your bird to acclimate to it; show it there's nothing to fear. For boredom, provide new, interesting, colourful toys with wood, plastic, leather, mirrors, bells, and preener-like materials like thin straws. For health issues, there's no better way to determine this than by having the bird examined at a certified avian vet. Separation anxiety, make sure the bird has constant company and slowly wean it onto more alone-time. Fear is another stresser-related thing. Deal with it in a similar way. Itchiness and pain, again, a vet.

3) Underlying cause affecting follicles. A vet visit is in order here because you can't see inside your bird and you can't say what's right or wrong - only a vet can.

4) PBFD. Pscittacine Beak and Feather Disease. If you notice there's no plucking, but there are abnormalities in feathers along with the smoothness of the beak (beaks will "shed" dead skin, but if it's in especially terrible shape, obviously something is wrong) and quality of skin, PBFD could be a possibility. It's best to have it checked early so it can be treated because if left too long, it's life threatening.