Backyard birds like cardinals don't always look neat and pretty. Find out if it's normal to see a bird with missing tail feathers.
Can a Bird Fly Without Tail Feathers?
Updated on Oct. 15, 2024
The ability to fly makes birds unique and fascinating. Have you ever wondered if a bird can fly without tail feathers? We asked birding experts for the answer.
Learn all about bird wings and flight feathers.
Missing Cardinal Tail Feathers
Northern cardinals perch atop many “favorite bird” lists. It’s not difficult to understand why; their red coloring transforms them into fluttering roses on a canvas of natural greens and browns. Sometimes, though, that eye-catching plumage isn’t without flaw.
“A male cardinal without tail feathers visited our feeder. What happened to it?” asks Birds & Blooms reader Richard Carlson
Birding experts Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman say, “When a songbird loses all its tail feathers at once, it’s usually the result of an accident. Maybe this cardinal had a near miss with a predator, or perhaps its tail got caught in something and the bird had to pull free.
The cardinal should be fine and the tail feathers will grow back. Songbirds replace all their feathers at least once per year anyway, with new feathers growing in as old ones drop out in a process called molt. During a normal molt, only a couple of feathers are replaced at a time, so the tail may look ragged but it’s never completely missing.”
Curious about more unique looking cardinals, other than a strange missing cardinal tail feather? Check out these amazing yellow cardinals and white cardinals!
Missing Turkey Tail Feathers
“We noticed two of the wild turkeys in our yard had tail feathers missing that are now growing back. Is that normal?” asks reader Andre Floen of Pine Haven, Wyoming.
Kenn and Kimberly say, “Tail feathers wear out, so it’s normal for turkeys to replace them once a year in a process called molt. A couple tail feathers drop out and new ones grow in their place, but the turkey won’t lose the next pair of feathers until the previous ones are nearly full-grown. Usually, the gap in feathers isn’t noticeable. Sometimes a turkey will lose many of them at once, in an accident or narrow escape from a predator. When that happens, the missing feathers grow back in at the same time.”
Next, find out why you might see a bald bird at your feeder,
About the Experts
Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman are the official bird experts for Birds & Blooms. They are the creators of the Kaufman Field Guide series and they lead birding trips all over the world.
