Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Plumage
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
==Eclipse plumage== [[File:Mandarinducksum.JPG|thumb|right|[[Mandarin duck]] (male) in eclipse plumage]] Many male ducks have bright, colourful plumage, exhibiting strong [[sexual dimorphism]]. However, they moult into a dull plumage after breeding in mid-summer. This drab, female-like appearance is called ''eclipse plumage''. When they shed feathers to go into an eclipse, the ducks become flightless for a short period. Some duck species remain in eclipse for one to three months in the late summer and early fall, while others retain the cryptic plumage until the next spring when they undergo another moult to return to their breeding plumage. Although mainly found in the [[Anatidae]], a few other species, including related [[red junglefowl]], most [[Malurus|fairywrens]]{{ref label|whiteshouldered|a|a}} and some [[sunbird]]s also have an eclipse plumage. In the [[Superb fairywren|superb]] and [[splendid fairywren]]s, very old males (over about four years) may moult from one nuptial plumage to another<ref>Rowley, Ian and Russell, Eleanor; ''Fairy-Wrens and Grasswrens''; pp. 145, 149 {{ISBN|0198546904}}</ref> whereas in the [[Red-backed fairywren|red-backed]] and [[white-winged fairywren]]s, males do not acquire nuptial plumage until four years of age<ref>Rowley and Russell; ''Fairy-Wrens and Grasswrens'', pp. 176β177, 181</ref> β well after they become sexually mature and indeed longer than the vast majority of individuals live.<ref>See [http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/science-and-research/bird-and-bat-banding/about-banding/banding-studies Australian Bird and Bat Banding Studies] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312192244/http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/science-and-research/bird-and-bat-banding/about-banding/banding-studies |date=12 March 2014 }}</ref> In contrast to the ducks, males of hummingbirds and most [[Lek mating|lek-mating]] passerines β like the [[Guianan cock-of-the-rock]] or [[birds of paradise]] β retain their exuberant plumage and sexual dimorphism at all times, moulting as ordinary birds do once annually.
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)