Black spots on my Eclectus' feathers — internal issue or something external? Need your thoughts (photos attached)

[0xhex]

Hi everyone, I need some opinions on my young male Eclectus, who is only about 5–6 months old.

Over the past couple of weeks he's been developing black discoloration on his feathers. I know black feathers in Eclectus are usually associated with diet/liver issues, and I'll be honest — he was on a heavy sunflower seed diet until recently (I didn't know Eclectus shouldn't be fed like regular seed-eating parrots). I've already started fixing the diet, moving to fresh veggies and cutting the seeds down. One thing I'm also wondering about is pellets. My bird has been eating Nutribird A15 pellets daily. Do you think the pellets could have contributed to the problem?

But here's what's confusing me: the black spots seem concentrated on his chest, shoulders and back — roughly the areas he can reach while preening. His head looks clean. So now I'm wondering:

1. Could this be the seed oils getting on his beak and spreading onto the feathers during preening, rather than an internal issue?
2. Or is this distribution just a coincidence and it's actually nutritional/liver related?
3. Can feather color even change this fast (~2 weeks) from diet alone, since already-grown feathers shouldn't change color internally?
4. I was also using a bath spray product — could that have contributed?

The affected feathers also look a bit greasy/frayed to me, not just darker. But I might be seeing what I want to see.

Photos attached. Has anyone experienced something similar? Should I go straight for bloodwork or is it reasonable to fix the diet first and watch the new feathers come in during molt?



First photo 3 week ago , second photo right now

 

[LaManuka50]

Hi everyone, I need some opinions on my young male Eclectus, who is only about 5–6 months old.

Over the past couple of weeks he's been developing black discoloration on his feathers. I know black feathers in Eclectus are usually associated with diet/liver issues, and I'll be honest — he was on a heavy sunflower seed diet until recently (I didn't know Eclectus shouldn't be fed like regular seed-eating parrots). I've already started fixing the diet, moving to fresh veggies and cutting the seeds down. One thing I'm also wondering about is pellets. My bird has been eating Nutribird A15 pellets daily. Do you think the pellets could have contributed to the problem?

But here's what's confusing me: the black spots seem concentrated on his chest, shoulders and back — roughly the areas he can reach while preening. His head looks clean. So now I'm wondering:

1. Could this be the seed oils getting on his beak and spreading onto the feathers during preening, rather than an internal issue?
2. Or is this distribution just a coincidence and it's actually nutritional/liver related?
3. Can feather color even change this fast (~2 weeks) from diet alone, since already-grown feathers shouldn't change color internally?
4. I was also using a bath spray product — could that have contributed?

The affected feathers also look a bit greasy/frayed to me, not just darker. But I might be seeing what I want to see.

Photos attached. Has anyone experienced something similar? Should I go straight for bloodwork or is it reasonable to fix the diet first and watch the new feathers come in during molt?



First photo 3 week ago , second photo right now

Blackened feathers can have several causes, external and internal. Young birds can be very rough on their feathers while they're still learning preening behaviours, and the oils from our hands can discolour them too. Diet can also be a factor, and so I would recommend you don't feed any more sunflower seeds. They are not part of the Eclectus diet and in general are not good as they are too high in fat. Their diets are fairly complex so I will link a thread here for you that you might find helpful...

The Eclectus Diet: The Do's, the Don'ts, and Everything You Need to Know But Were Too Afraid to Ask

Please don't forget to tell us your handsome boy's name, will you? I'm so glad both of you are here!

 

[AMD46]

If it were me, I would schedule an appointment with the vet to rule out any health issues.