192 Bird -Lore 



Plumage Molt Time 



1. Natal Down Postnatal Molt Spring-Summer 



2. Juvenal (nestling) Postjuvenal Molt Fall 



3. First Winter Plumage First Prenuptial Molt Spring 



4. Nuptial Plumage First Postnuptial Molt .... Fall 



5. Second Winter Plumage . . . Second Prenuptial Molt . . . Spring 



6. The sequence of plumages and molts follows by seasons in like order. 



Note. — A few exceptions occur. The nestling plumage may be shed earlier in some 

 species than in others. Most nestlings shed it very soon after leaving the nest. A few 

 species wear it two or three months before changing to the first winter plumage, while 

 a few others wear it until the prenuptial molt. Likewise, a few species do not attain 

 the full nuptial plumage until the first postnuptial molt. The Scarlet Tanager and the 

 American Goldfinch are familiar examples. 



Again, nearly all birds make a complete change of feathers every fall, but Ducks and 

 Ptarmigan, for special reasons of protection, undergo a more limited change at that 

 time. If a Ptarmigan, for example, assumed its white winter plumage before the snow 

 came, it would be a very striking object indeed. In the fall, therefore, it wears a tran- 

 sition plumage through September and October. 



Just as in every other part of bird-study there is so much to learn that one is 

 likely to become confused or discouraged, so in this matter of plumage and molt 

 there are many unexpected points to observe and consider. For our purpose, 

 however, it is sufficient to remember first, that there are two general groups of 

 nestlings, those which are nearly naked at birth and require a long period of 

 care in the nest before being able to fly and find food, and those which are well 

 covered with natal down when hatched and require little attention from the 

 parents; second, that every bird changes its plumage completely once a year 

 at least; third, that some birds change their plumage twice a year completely, 

 while others make only a partial change or no change at all, except what comes 

 about by the wear and fading of their feathers; and fourth, that a few birds for 

 special reasons of protection or ornamentation make additional changes at cer- 

 tain times of the year. It will lend enjoyment to your study of birds if you pay 

 attention to the details of their dress from season to season. The more study 

 one puts upon these matters, the more profit one gets. You may be able to 

 recognize an adult male Goldfinch, but can you tell it in the winter, or can 

 you tell a young male Orchard Oriole from an adult one or a young male Red- 

 winged Blackbird from either the adult male or female? If you have colored 

 pictures or charts in the school-room, or a museum close at hand, select a few 

 groups of familiar birds and study their likenesses and differences with respect 

 to plumage. Look at a young Robin or a young Bluebird in the juvenal plu- 

 mage and then look at their parents, and also, at their relatives, the Thrushes. 

 If it was not for the plumage of the young birds, you might not understand 

 their relationship. 



A few suggestions about the annual life-cycle of birds may help you to 

 remember some of these difiicult things. Let us take a pair of Robins, about 



