Why Finches Aggressively Pluck Out Each Other’s Feathers

It’s really painful to watch their aggressiveness

Finches are lovely little birds. I love them because they are tiny and beautiful. They are like cute babies who always demand love and care.

Many years ago, during my university years, I had shared my room with a few budgerigars. But after a few months, being irritated with their harsh call, I let them go and fill the void with four zebra finches. I bought them from a birdshop and tried to pet them. Oh! I loved those colorful tiny birds a lot.

I bought a larger cage so that they could fly in a bigger space. But little did I know that a cage is always a cage, no matter how big or small the size is.

Anyway, I used to feed them different grains, and when they would eat, I observed them and became overwhelmed with their restlessness. Their call was more gentle and sweet.

I put some grass inside the cage, and within a few days, they made their home-sweet-home with the grass. Then, one day, after coming back home from university, I saw two tiny eggs.

I was overjoyed.

My zebras plucking out each other’s feathers

My happiness did not last long. A few days later, I found that my finches dropped their eggs on the cage ground and broke them.

Who knows why they did that. Maybe the birds were not happy with the nest they made or got depressed by the confinement. I really failed to figure out the reasons. But a new development occurred. They started plucking out each other’s feathers aggressively.

First, I thought they were quarreling as human couples occasionally do. But it got intense, and within a few days, two of them looked bald and ugly. Their aggressiveness was not a good sight to experience.

I changed their meals, put more grass inside the cage, and made new arrangements so that the four of them can happily live there. But nothing worked. They were looking terrible and it broke my heart.

So, one day, with a heavy heart, I let them touch the sky.

Why did they become so aggressive?

I read that the reasons for plucking out their feathers are many, and it is tough to find out exactly why they do it. One of the reasons for plucking each other’s feathers is behavioral.

They do it before their breeding time, especially when the nesting materials provided in the cage are not enough for them. So they pluck each other feathers and use them to build the nest. That time you must provide different types of nesting materials in the cage so that they have no option to tear out one another’s feathers.

Though I had put different grass inside the cage, it didn’t help as they were busy bullying each other and plucking out feathers. Moreover, a female finch may become aggressive if she doesn’t like to breed with the existing male. Eventually, she attacks the male and plucks out its feathers.

I also read that zebra finches are naturally aggressive, even on their own kinds. They are quite human-like, I guess.

They can do it due to stress as well if there is not enough space for the finches in the cage. Or, if they are given the same seeds or grains over and over again.

Feather plucking can also happen due to parasites or lice attacks. Even skin ailments can cause this aggressive behavior in finches.

When it happens, it is always wise to separate the finches from each other.

I don’t know what exactly happened with my finches. But they looked bald and ugly without feathers, and I felt terrible for them. So, finally, I had to let them go.

In reality, I was the stupid one who confined them in a tiny place when all they want is the freedom to explore the sky.

Who wants to be in a cage? No matter how much love you give your so-called cage-birds, they are not meant to be caged. They need an open sky to rejoice and tree-branches to build their home-sweet-home.

Thank you for reading.

If you are a lover of the environment, nature, and wildlife, you may enjoy the following articles published in The Environment.

• The School of Nature
• I Saw My Darlings on a Dye-Fig Tree
• Color Your Life With Some Birds
• Where Have All the Birds Gone?
• Global Warming Is Going to Destroy Your Children’s Life

You can also inspire others to share their love and concerns for this lovely planet. Just click the below image and write for The Environment