# Feather color changes?



## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Recently our roller Tracy started having a lot of patches of white feathers interspersed where her neck and head were tan and purple. We have had her for several months and I wonder if this is something to be concerned about. Will try to post pictures soon as it is kind of weird. Her energy level and appetite seem ok. Not sure about her droppings as she and her cage mate Lucy are always broody, laying eggs, and making voluminous poops.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Is she molting?


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## Chuck K (Jan 12, 2013)

*Grizzle*

Birds that carry the gene for grizzle will often become more flecked with white as they age. They will become whiter with each annual molt. In some cases the birds will end up looking a lot different than they originally appeared. Sometimes the change is dramatic from one molt to the next. In those cases it is usually very evident with the change from juvenile plumage to adult plumage. The two pictures below are of a young racing homer. The dark version were his first set of feathers. The whiter version was after his first adult molt. I think he will probably continue to get whiter as he ages. You can tell in the first picture that he carries the gene for grizzle, but it not always so obvious on some birds.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Gorgeous birds, as usual! Will try to post a photo tomorrow. There are so many feathers among the six birds I'm not sure who's molting.


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