Mating then moulting or moulting then mating!?

[Jottlebot]

Hello Clever People!

Sooo...which is it? I'd have thought moulting then mating so everyone looks all gorgeous, but I'm sure my boy was hormonal (and bitey, the little toad) earlier in the year and last weekend quite dramatically pressed the "chuck all your feathers on the floor and grow pin feathers EVERYWHERE" button.

He's rapidly heading towards looking unloved and homeless and I've checked my photos and he went through exactly the same this time last year - as you can see below. What I can't remember is whether grumpy-hormone bird follows grumpy-moulting bird or vice versa!

 

[SilverSage]

Breeding season is followed immediately by a hard molt for Asiatic species it’s breeding and THEN molting.


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[Jottlebot]

Thank you SilverSage!!

 

[Betrisher]

Yes, mine usually moult toward the end of winter, but this year there hasn't been a sign of moulting. Yet, at least. I always feel so sorry for them: it looks so darned uncomfortable. At least Barney and Madge have each other to squash the pin feathers on their heads. It must be maddening for single birds to have to wait for the darned things to grow out.