Discolouration of a Jambul's feathers

I was alarmed initially when I came back from a 9 days holiday to find one of my Red-whiskered Bulbul all puffed up. There are still water in the cups but there are no food in its cup. First response was to fill up the cup with food which I did. (Was told later that its a wrong move, as the bird could overeat and when it drinks water, the pellets would all swell up and could cause sudden death)



Luckily, nothing untoward happened. A friend was supposed to drop by every 2 or 3 days to see to the birds but he was absent for 7 days because my dog was patrolling the house with much enthusiasm. Sigh! another logistic thing I have to look into....
Previously the chest feathers are greyish black in colour and they do not meet in the middle like the brown feathers. So, this colouration must have been a sign of poor health. Gave it a daily dose of fruits - papaya, orange and bananas.... in that order. All fortified with vitamin B complex which I crushed into powder and sprinkled on the fruits.
Chronology of recovery.... next day, no fluffy feathers (in the pic), 3rd day - heard his signature "kekek", 5th day (today) - all seems well. Voracious appetite - can finish his dry pellets in 2 days (usually 4 days) and 1 small size banana in a single day. Whew! close call.... hopefully no permanent damage. Brown feathers kind of cool :-D


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