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"Dandruff" is crumbling feather sheaths and powder down
When my 4-year-old goldcap conure, Pepe, scratches or preens his feathers, he sheds white flakes on my dark clothes that resemble dandruff. What is this?
-- Seymour Helfant
The white flakes your bird sheds when preening or ruffling its feathers are not dandruff. They come from a couple of different sources, both normal.
New feathers wear a protective sheath called an epitricium. (The stiff sheath gives the growing feather the appearance of a pin, which is why new feathers are often called "pin feathers".) As the feather grows the bird preens off this sheath to allow the feather to open and dry. The sheath comes off in flakes, which can certainly make your bird look like he needs a good dose of Head and Shoulders!
Another type of bird "dandruff," produced by cockatoos, African greys and Amazons, is called powder down. This fine talc, used by the bird for grooming, is produced by specialized feathers that grow on the sides of the body.
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