Codee Vogler

Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Cook, Peter

Area of Concentration

Biopsychology

Abstract

Feather damaging disorder is a grooming disorder where damage a bird inflicts damage on its own plumage by over preening, manipulating feathers with the beak, breaking feathers, or plucking them from the body. It is considered to be a condition of captivity and its etiology has been widely discussed, and in many cases, is unable to be identified due to the multifactorial nature of the disorder. It is a common concern among parrot owners, and is frequently seen in avian veterinary medicine. The present study investigated the differences in oral and locomotive observable behavior in blue and gold macaws, Ara ararauna, related to a captive lifestyle and feather damaging disorder. It was hypothesized that subjects with evident feather damaging disorder would perform significantly more maladaptive behaviors than those with no known symptoms. In order to test this, video recordings were taken for eight subjects over a ten-week span from January to March. Behavioral frequencies were obtained and a Wilcoxon Rank Sum test was performed using SAS Enterprise Guide 7.1. Birds with feather damaging disorder showed significant differences in the performance of maladaptive behaviors in comparison to those with no known symptoms. The results of this study demonstrate increased behavioral manifestations of an inability to cope with the constraints of the captive environment in subjects with feather damaging behaviors.

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