Moult and Ageing of European PasserinesThe moult strategies of birds are not only of importance in their impact on a species' ecology and energetics, but as a valuable tool for anyone studying the migration and population dynamics of bird species. A proper understanding of how feathers are replaced, and the precise differences in appearance of the various feather generations, can allow ringers, scientists and the keen birdwatcher to age first-year and adult birds and to detect the moult strategy of the bird in question. Lukas Jenni and Raffael Winkler have combined these themes and produced a book which will be valuable both to the professional ornithologist and the bird ringer. The first part gives an up to date summary of the moult strategies and moult sequences of European passerines and discusses the ecological consequences of moult. Throughout the book, the authors draw on the enormous amount of data on moult collected by them over 15 years of study which, combined with data from the literature, allow them to present a new synthesis of the subject. The second part of the book is of particular value to ringers. Following a general introduction to ageing, detailed moult profiles are given for 58 species of European passerines representing all the major moult strategies, backed up with useful summary statistics, schematic diagrams of the extent of moult and indications of the variation within each species. For the first time, the extent of partial and suspended moults is presented in detail. The crowing feature of this book is the 480 plus full colour photographs of extended wings which show the entire range of moult patterns and of plumage ageing criteria. An appendix gives supplementary information on ageing birds by the degree of pneumatization of the skull. This book is both a major reference for onithologists, zoologists, bird ringers and dedicated birdwatchers, and a work of great scholarship and beauty. |
Contents
The terminology of feathers plumages moults and age classes | 7 |
The moult during the first year of life | 29 |
5 | 41 |
Copyright | |
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Acrocephalus adults alula Anthus autumn migration body-feathers breeding area Comments on ageing complete moult complete postbr moult complete postjuvenile moult eccentric European passerines extent of moult extent of postjuv Extent of postjuvenile feather centres first-year birds fringes GC moulted Ginn & Melville greater coverts moulted individuals innermost July Aug juv GC juvenile feathers juvenile plumage Lanius limit within GC Locustella ly after partial MaC and MeC Mean number MeC and GC MeC postjuv moult cycle type moult limit moult strategies Number of GC outer P-moult partial moult partial postjuv moult partial postjuvenile moult partial prebr moult partial prebreeding moult partial primary moult perform a complete Phoenicurus postbreeding moult postjuv GC prebreeding moult rectrices remiges renewed GC Rest of wing retained Roselaar in Cramp Rymkevich 1990 secondaries sequence Serinus skull pneumatization species Sylvia borin tertials Turdus usually Warbler Whole plumage Whole wing postbr wing juv wing-coverts winter worn ΑΙ