Do you by chance have pictures somewhere showing different stages of the molting process? I am particularly interested in seeing a SY male transition to an ASY male when he gets his new suit of color.
dick
Hey PMCA
-
ToyinPA
- Posts: 2227
- Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:07 pm
- Location: PA/Avis
- Martin Colony History: The 1972 St. Agnes flood wiped out all the Martins in my area. One day, in 1997-98, 5 or 6 Martins landed on the power wires crossing my back yard. I had no house for them. They kept coming back day after day. We got a martin house a few weeks later & they have been coming back every year since. I average 12-15 pair per year.
Dick I know parrots molt out feathers in pairs. I'm sure it's the same with most birds.
During certain times of the year parrots go thru what parrot owners call "heavy molt" where they can drop hundreds of small feathers from head, chest, neck, under wings, down feathers, etc, in a matter of a few days. As for wing feathers those usually molt in sequence, i.e., one off one wing the same feather off the other wing. Tail feathers can molt off a macaw to the point all the really long ones are gone for several weeks. Some feathers grow back in very quickly, while others take much longer. Light & tempature play a big role in molting. Macaws are from South America, so I'm assuming the molt time would be the same as PM's.
I'd assume during a PM's stay in South America they do the same & when the new feathers come in they have the new color. It sure would be neat to see pics of this color transformation.
I have found wing feathers from PM's in my yard, but only a few each year.
ToyinPA
During certain times of the year parrots go thru what parrot owners call "heavy molt" where they can drop hundreds of small feathers from head, chest, neck, under wings, down feathers, etc, in a matter of a few days. As for wing feathers those usually molt in sequence, i.e., one off one wing the same feather off the other wing. Tail feathers can molt off a macaw to the point all the really long ones are gone for several weeks. Some feathers grow back in very quickly, while others take much longer. Light & tempature play a big role in molting. Macaws are from South America, so I'm assuming the molt time would be the same as PM's.
I'd assume during a PM's stay in South America they do the same & when the new feathers come in they have the new color. It sure would be neat to see pics of this color transformation.
I have found wing feathers from PM's in my yard, but only a few each year.
ToyinPA
-
Louise Chambers
- Site Admin
- Posts: 6208
- Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2003 1:07 pm
- Location: Corpus Christi, TX
Dick, here is a photo taken by PMCA founder James R. Hill during trip to Brazil to check martin roosts many years back. Time of year was February so the male bird in photo would be more than 18 months, but less than 2 years. It is molting from SY male to ASY male plumage. This was cover photo on Update 4(4), Fall 1993.
Molt begins while birds are still in North America - I picked up a handful of molted flight feathers (all from wings) the other day. As Toy said, they molt feathers in pairs so watch for martins that are missing a feather on each wing, or two from tail. Most molt takes place after they have reached their non-breeding grounds in S America, and they won't head north until molt is complete - ASY birds, SY birds, and HY (hatching year) birds will all get a nice new set of feathers for the year. HY birds will come back as SY birds, SYs as ASYs, etc.
Molt begins while birds are still in North America - I picked up a handful of molted flight feathers (all from wings) the other day. As Toy said, they molt feathers in pairs so watch for martins that are missing a feather on each wing, or two from tail. Most molt takes place after they have reached their non-breeding grounds in S America, and they won't head north until molt is complete - ASY birds, SY birds, and HY (hatching year) birds will all get a nice new set of feathers for the year. HY birds will come back as SY birds, SYs as ASYs, etc.
- Attachments
-
- updatecover.gif
- male martin molting from subadult to adult plumage, photographed in Brazil by James R. Hill, III, copyright James Hill and PMCA
- (1.17 MiB) Downloaded 406 times
-
Guest
guteart,,,,,I am loking for a series of photos, do you have that?If so, post that or e mail it ,thanks
dick
dick
-
Louise Chambers
- Site Admin
- Posts: 6208
- Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2003 1:07 pm
- Location: Corpus Christi, TX
Dick,
I don't know of any extensive photos or series taken in South America showing molt. Up here, it's not difficult to do photography with nestlings from houses or gourds, and of adults at a colony site.
In South America, the only time the birds all congregate to begin with is at roosts, at dusk. They leave roosts early in the morning and head out to feed. There are simply not the opportunities to do photography of individual birds there.
The bird in the photo was caught at a roost using mist nets - Drs. Morton & Stutchbury and James Hill were catching birds to get blood samples as part of a study of blood parasites. So any birds caught were random, they were lucky to get that one bird that showed SY male into ASY male plumage so nicely. Catching a selection, when there are 100s or 1000s of birds in a tree, sounds like it ought to be easy but isn't. Probably the best bet would be to work with a rehabber who is overwintering a martin, that could be photographed on a regular basis to show molt progress.
I don't know of any extensive photos or series taken in South America showing molt. Up here, it's not difficult to do photography with nestlings from houses or gourds, and of adults at a colony site.
In South America, the only time the birds all congregate to begin with is at roosts, at dusk. They leave roosts early in the morning and head out to feed. There are simply not the opportunities to do photography of individual birds there.
The bird in the photo was caught at a roost using mist nets - Drs. Morton & Stutchbury and James Hill were catching birds to get blood samples as part of a study of blood parasites. So any birds caught were random, they were lucky to get that one bird that showed SY male into ASY male plumage so nicely. Catching a selection, when there are 100s or 1000s of birds in a tree, sounds like it ought to be easy but isn't. Probably the best bet would be to work with a rehabber who is overwintering a martin, that could be photographed on a regular basis to show molt progress.
Dick, what PMCA has photos of the martin, starting from the egg to pipping egg to hatching day, each photo of the martin for 28 days. I bought from them, which comes with prognosticator to determine if your martin nestlings have fledged.
-
flyin-lowe
- Posts: 3792
- Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 8:49 am
- Location: Indiana/Henry Co.
guteart
He is looking for photos of the birds after the first year when they change colors from a light colored breast to the full dark tuxedo.
He is looking for photos of the birds after the first year when they change colors from a light colored breast to the full dark tuxedo.
2026 HOSP 29
2025 62 pair HOSP 20
2024 60 pair, HOSP 44
2023 60+ pair, HOSP 8
2022 60 nests with 262 eggs, HOSP 14
2021 62 pair, HOSP 9
2020 42 nest, HOSP 8
2019- 31 pair
2018- 15 pair 49 fledged
2017 3 SY pair, 12 eggs , fledged 10. 4 additional lone SY's
2016 1 pair fledged 4
2015 Visitors
2014 Visitors
2013 Moved 6 miles, 1 pair fledged 2.
2012 30 pair fledged 100.
2011 12 pair 43 fledged.
2010 5 pair 14 fledged.
2025 62 pair HOSP 20
2024 60 pair, HOSP 44
2023 60+ pair, HOSP 8
2022 60 nests with 262 eggs, HOSP 14
2021 62 pair, HOSP 9
2020 42 nest, HOSP 8
2019- 31 pair
2018- 15 pair 49 fledged
2017 3 SY pair, 12 eggs , fledged 10. 4 additional lone SY's
2016 1 pair fledged 4
2015 Visitors
2014 Visitors
2013 Moved 6 miles, 1 pair fledged 2.
2012 30 pair fledged 100.
2011 12 pair 43 fledged.
2010 5 pair 14 fledged.
-
Guest
No not quite I am looking for a series of pics of the transition from SY to ASY, say a pic every 3 or 4 days of the same bird through out the molting period so the complete process of molting of a single bird can be seem.
I knew when I first asked that the chances of this being recorded was slim to none but If I didn't ask I would not have known for sure.
dick
I knew when I first asked that the chances of this being recorded was slim to none but If I didn't ask I would not have known for sure.
dick