Searching for consensus in molt terminology 11 years after Howell et al.'s “first basic problem”

Wolfe, Jared D.; Johnson, Erik I.; Terrill, Ryan S.

doi:10.1642/auk-13-087.1

Cited by 18 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…), and categorized molting birds by the presence of symmetrical flight feather molt, indicative of the adult post‐breeding molt or definitive prebasic molt (sensu Wolfe et al. ). We also noted if any breeding Wilson's Warblers were recaptured at multiple sites.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-breeding population dynamics indicate upslope molt-migration by Wilson's Warblers

2017

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Molt is an energetically costly process, and songbirds (Order Passeriformes) exhibit a diversity of strategies to maximize their survival and reproductive success while meeting the energetic demands of the annual prebasic molt. Nearctic‐Neotropic migrants in western North America commonly exhibit one of three strategies: (1) remain in breeding areas to molt, (2) migrate long distances to molt before continuing to wintering areas, or (3) migrate to wintering areas and then molt. Among species that molt in or near breeding areas, the nature of small‐scale movements to undergo molt remains largely unknown. We used banding data collected over a period of 27 yr and across an elevational gradient to examine the propensity of Wilson's Warblers (Cardellina pusilla) to molt and breed at the same or different locations in northern California and southern Oregon. We found that individual adult Wilson's Warblers were more likely to breed at lower elevations and molt at higher elevations, suggesting that some individuals move altitudinally after breeding to complete the definitive prebasic molt. Such altitudinal movements may be more common among Nearctic‐Neotropic migrants in western North America than previously thought.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-breeding population dynamics indicate upslope molt-migration by Wilson's Warblers

2017

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“…The annual, complete molt all birds undergo is termed the prebasic molt and generates the basic plumage. In addition to the prebasic molt, many species of birds undergo a second molt within their annual cycle, termed the prealternate molt, which generates the alternate plumage and typically corresponds to what is colloquially known as the breeding plumage (Wolfe, Johnson, & Terrill, 2014). The prealternate molt varies broadly in presence and extent among taxa, as well as the amount of phenotypic change it produces.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of breeding plumages in birds: A multiple‐step pathway to seasonal dichromatism in New World warblers (Aves: Parulidae)

Terrill

Seeholzer

Wolfe

2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Many species of birds show distinctive seasonal breeding and nonbreeding plumages. A number of hypotheses have been proposed for the evolution of this seasonal dichromatism, specifically related to the idea that birds may experience variable levels of sexual selection relative to natural selection throughout the year. However, these hypotheses have not addressed the selective forces that have shaped molt, the underlying mechanism of plumage change. Here, we examined relationships between life‐history variation, the evolution of a seasonal molt, and seasonal plumage dichromatism in the New World warblers (Aves: Parulidae), a family with a remarkable diversity of plumage, molt, and life‐history strategies. We used phylogenetic comparative methods and path analysis to understand how and why distinctive breeding and nonbreeding plumages evolve in this family. We found that color change alone poorly explains the evolution of patterns of biannual molt evolution in warblers. Instead, molt evolution is better explained by a combination of other life‐history factors, especially migration distance and foraging stratum. We found that the evolution of biannual molt and seasonal dichromatism is decoupled, with a biannual molt appearing earlier on the tree, more dispersed across taxa and body regions, and correlating with separate life‐history factors than seasonal dichromatism. This result helps explain the apparent paradox of birds that molt biannually but show breeding plumages that are identical to the nonbreeding plumage. We find support for a two‐step process for the evolution of distinctive breeding and nonbreeding plumages: That prealternate molt evolves primarily under selection for feather renewal, with seasonal color change sometimes following later. These results reveal how life‐history strategies and a birds' environment act upon multiple and separate feather functions to drive the evolution of feather replacement patterns and bird coloration.

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“…Juvenile plumage is that formed when the downy cover grows out (Cieslak & Dul, 2006). This event is called the first prebasic moult (Wolfe et al, 2014;Howell & Pyle, 2015).…”

Section: Differential Quality and Shape Of Juvenile Versus Adult Featmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The whole process may take up to five years in some owls. The high variability of moult processes, depending on the particular species or group of birds, means that scientific moult terminology is quite confusing (e.g., Wolfe et al, 2014;Howell & Pyle, 2015). We therefore describe here some of the terms used, in accordance with the above references.…”

Section: Moult Terminologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Moult in Birds of Prey: A Review of Current Knowledge and Future Challenges for Research

Zuberogoitia¹,

Zabala

Martínez³

2018

Ardeola

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Searching for consensus in molt terminology 11 years after Howell et al.'s “first basic problem”

Cited by 18 publications

References 15 publications

Post-breeding population dynamics indicate upslope molt-migration by Wilson's Warblers

Post-breeding population dynamics indicate upslope molt-migration by Wilson's Warblers

Evolution of breeding plumages in birds: A multiple‐step pathway to seasonal dichromatism in New World warblers (Aves: Parulidae)

Moult in Birds of Prey: A Review of Current Knowledge and Future Challenges for Research

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