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- Art McMorris
- DVOC
- September 20, 2007
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4
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- High energy cost
- Feathers are >85% protein
- Many ducks have protein-poor plant diet
- Raid muscle for protein
- Lose ~20% body mass during molt
- Eclipse feathers discarded quickly
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- Older literature: eclipse molt is complete
- Pyle 2005: eclipse molt is partial
- Females: 54% of body feathers
- Males: 33% of body feathers
- Primarily brightly-colored areas
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8
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- Males migrate to molting areas for wing molt
- Security: from drying out
- Security: from predators
- Safety in numbers
- Lots of food
- Other features
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9
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10
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11
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- Weight of bird/area of wings (g/cm2)
- Songbirds: 0.1 - 0.2 g/cm2
- Mallard: 1.24 - 1.32 g/cm2
- Loss of a few feathers makes flight difficult
- Get it over with quickly!
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12
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- Snow Bunting
- Lapland Longspur
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- Eclipse plumage camoflages bird during flightless period
- Strategy of simultaneous wing molt and flightless period solves problems
caused by:
- High wing loading
- Migration time crunch
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Notes
