Odd looking Blue Jay

[Bohdan]

Not sure what's wrong if anything with this Jay. I've seen this once or twice in the past. Don't know whether it's not uncommon, or due to an illness.

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[Terri French]

Poor bird....

 

[bsinc1962]

Doesn't look well

 

[Bohdan]

Poor bird....

I know...

Doesn't look well

It doesn't, but other than the obvious, it functioned normally, and had a healthy appetite.

 

[Bohdan]

So I was curious, and worried for this poor bird and did a search on the internet: Why is a bird bald?
The short answer is no one knows why it’s bald, but this strange sight occurs every year, mostly in Northern Cardinals and Blue Jays. Of course, we can speculate…
Birds molt their feathers throughout the year, and one possible explanation for baldness is that an abnormal molt occurs on some birds, causing them to lose all of their head feathers at once. The birds may be juveniles undergoing their first prebasic molt.
It’s also possible that feather mites or lice may cause baldness. The condition has not been studied closely, but fortunately, new feathers grow in within a few weeks.

 

[Palouse]

Over on one of the many bird feeder fora (https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=94248), I read this, "As to your Jays there are two common causes to this I believe, one is Moult the other is a mite infestation. If it is moult, you'll notice it clearing up (new feathers coming in) shortly."