Re: [SBB] Cycle birds

["Alvaro Jaramillo" <[[email protected]]>]

Jack

 

   Gulls are complicated, and their molt are often long and slow creating many different appearances in the life of a bird. It also turns out that in the first year, gulls have a long molt, but no separate fall and spring molts as is typically noted in the books. To simplify things the use of plumage cycles is beneficial, the cycle being from complete molt to next complete molt. So in the summer birds will molt from one cycle to another, and in winter they will all clearly be in one or another plumage cycle. Thayer’s Gulls in their first year of life in December could be in Juvenal plumage while a Western Gull of similar age will be in a first basic (now thought of as a formative plumage – this is a new plumage terminology proposed by Peter Pyle et al). Rather than getting into the nitty gritty details of the molt timing of these birds and all the complexities, both can be adequately referred to be in their first cycle.

 

Regards

 

Al

 

Alvaro Jaramillo

[[email protected]]

Half Moon Bay, CA

 

Field Guides - Birding Tours Worldwide

http://www.fieldguides.com/home.htm

 

---

From: [[email protected]] [mailto:[[email protected]]] On Behalf Of Jack Cole
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 7:03 PM
To: SBB SouthBay Birds
Subject: [SBB] Cycle birds

 

OK, I'm not afraid to show my ignorance. Since there is no such thing as a dumb question, what I would like to know is:

 

When did we start referring to birds (gulls only, or other species?) as a certain cycle instead of a certain year or season? Is there a difference? Is there a new field guide out that refers to cycles?

 

While I'm at it, just what is the difference between a female-plumaged bird and a female bird? Does this imply that a female-plumaged bird could be a male?

 

Please respond on line in case there is someone other than me who would like to know the answers.

 

Thanks!

 

Jack Cole

---

Yahoo! Mail
Bring photos to life! New PhotoMail makes sharing a breeze.

--
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 268.2.1/278 - Release Date: 3/9/2006

--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 268.2.1/278 - Release Date: 3/9/2006

_______________________________________________
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
South-Bay-Birds mailing list      ([[email protected]])
Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription:
http://plaidworks.org/mailman/listinfo/south-bay-birds_plaidworks.org