Molt of Primaries of Adult Rock Ptarmigan in Central Alaska
Weeden RB. 1966. Molt of Primaries of Adult Rock Ptarmigan in Central Alaska. The Auk. 83(4):587-596
The molt of primaries of adult male Rock Ptarmigan in central Alaska began in the period 5-20 June in 1961-65 and was completed 5-30 September. The molt began when territorial behavior was waning and when hens were incubating. Primaries were molted faster early in the molt period than later. A cold and snowy spring in 1964 delayed the molt and breeding schedule of Rock Ptarmigan by about 12 days in comparison with 1963. Adult hens with chicks began molting 4-12 days after their chicks hatched, rarely earlier. Hatching peaks varied from 19 June to 1 July; molting began latest in the year of latest hatchings. The molt proceed faster among hens early in the molt period than later, as was the case among males. There was no close correlation between molt progress of hens and the age of their chicks. Hens that lost nests began shedding primaries soon after the nests were destroyed. As a group, unproductive hens molted later than cocks but earlier than hens that nested successfully.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Weeden, Robert
- Units
- ARCN , CAKN , DENA , GAAR , WRST , YUCH
- Keywords
- Behavior, Birds, Breeding Biology, Grouse, Lagopus mutus, plumage color, wing molt