It’s not a bad hair day . . . it’s a juvenile male Northern Cardinal acquiring his first adult plumage as his beak begins to re-color as well. Many birds molt or replace their plumage in the later part of summer as it is after breeding and before migration, which requires much energy, as does molting. So molting takes place during a "down time" in the bird's life cycle.
Even birds
as bright as the adult Northern Cardinal, feathers fade and suffer from wear and tear. The bird on the left shows the bright winter plumage replaced after summer. The male on the right photographed in August shows how the feathers have faded.
And right on schedule, I noticed my adult male cardinal starting to molt last week. He seems to take baths more frequently during molting as well. As a child our Peacocks and Peahens seemed to hide during molting when they completely lost their tails, but it was probably because they weren't spending time displaying at the mirror that made them seem to hide. Yes, the females display too--just not as dramatically!
Birds with a single molt cycle include Chickadees, Flycatchers, Hawks, Hummingbirds, Jays, Owls, Swallows, Thrushes, Vireos, and Woodpeckers.
There are many variances such as the one of the American Goldfinch.
Both of these pictures are male American Goldfinches. The bright yellow male on the left is in "alternative plumage" for mating, which happens in the late spring. Most of the plumage of the adult, male American Goldfinch is like the one on the left for 6 to 9 months of the year. It is normally the plumage we see on the Gulf Coast as the American Goldfinch does not breed here, but heads further north. As their breeding plumage fades, the bird completes its full molt before migration in the fall.
Some birds, particularly those that live in areas that inflict heavy damage on their feathers, molt twice a year, such as the Marsh Wren which winters in our area. Marsh Wrens live in particularly abrasive vegetation of reedy marshes and cattail swamps.
Other birds plumage reveals age and change over several years -- anywhere from 2 to to 5 years.
Multi-year plumage changes. In Fort Bend, Texas, the Little Blue Heron is very dramatic in its changes over 3 years.
Little Blue Heron flock with Snowy Egrets their initial year . . . possessing different beak and leg colors but are otherwise very similar (picture on left) to Snowy Egrets. The center picture shows the "calico" stage which is blue and white. The mature Little Blue Heron is blue shading into a maroon neck (bird on right).
The Bald Eagle takes 4 to 5 years to develop its breeding feathers and white tail. Birds of Prey like eagles that depend on precision flying for their survival, molt a few feathers at a time to keep their wings in top flight condition for hunting.
Bird plumage is one of the most identifiable characteristics of birds, but distinguishing birds during molting or a various life stages can be quite challenging and frustrating for novice birders. Particularly using Field Guide pictures alone for identification can be frustrating because there can be many variations. Using range maps, habitat, calls and vocalization, behavior, and measurements and the shape of the bird are other means that support an identification. If you suspect you have an immature bird, google in immature and the species name such as immature red-breasted woodpecker (seen in the right picture). That's one that tripped me because of the length of time in immature feathers!
A bird bander, who came to Margaret's to identify some female hummingbirds, thought she had a Ruby Throated hummer. Yet as she began to measure, the bander finally arrived at Black-Chinned.
Female hummers can be hard to identify.
Pictures help but cannot show parts of the bird or may be obscured by light and or angle of the shot. Identification can make for some exciting quandaries as well as arguments, even by the experts!
For more complete and scientific explanation of molting nomenclature, All About Birds website from the Cornell University Ornithology Lab is an excellent source for authoritative, ready and easy-to-read information. Press here to read the full article.
Photos copyrighted except immature red-breasted woodpecker by Quail Valley resident and international birder Margaret Sloan. View her international and national bird pictures by pressing this link.
See a bird you don't recognize in Fort Bend? Margaret has photographed 150+ bird species just in her suburban Fort Bend,Texas backyard alone. Narrow your initial search by viewing her full photo album of local birds, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link. They are organized by types of birds, so if it's a water bird for example, you may find one that helps you narrow your search. Then if you "google in" the name of the bird, you'll get info and all kinds of information and images. Sometimes if a species is remarkably different from adult you may find nothing, contact us and we'll do our best to help.
Researched and posted by Janice Scanlan, who took the lower quality photo of immature red-breasted woodpecker in her garden. Click photos to enlarge them.