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Re: brighter goldfinch-retraction
- To: carolinabirds@duke.edu
- Subject: Re: brighter goldfinch-retraction
- From: Norman Budnitz <nbudnitz@duke.edu>
- Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 17:49:25 -0500
- Delivered-to: pardo@metalab.unc.edu
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
OOPS! Kent is correct. Feather wear does have an effect, but the bright
yellow and black are mostly the result of honest-to-goodness molting.
Snow Buntings, on the other hand. . . . See Sibley's new book called
Birding Basics.
Mea culpa.
Norm
At 03:19 PM 01/26/2003 -0500, you wrote:
Norman Budnitz wrote:
Goldfinches don't actually MOLT into brighter colors from now into
spring. Those nice yellows are actually due to feather WEAR. Lots of
surprises out there in nature!
You know, my first thought yesterday was to post exactly this same
answer myself, but I decided to do some research first. Although many
birds acquire their bright breeding colors through the wearing off of
the dull feather tips that provide winter colors, apparently American
Goldfinches do indeed have a full pre-alternate molt of the contour
feathers, although not of flight feathers. I have a copy of Dwight's
classic book on passerine molts that confirms this. A Google search on
"goldfinch molt" turned up http://biology.queensu.ca/~amymac/research.htm
which reports "The American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) is unique
among Cardueline finches for its spring molt in which birds achieve
brighter breeding plumage."
--
Kent Fiala
near Chapel Hill, NC
***********************************************************
Norman Budnitz, nbudnitz@duke.edu
919-684-3592 (day), 919-383-0553 (eve), 919-660-7293 (fax)
(work) Biology Dept, Duke Univ, Box 90338, Durham NC 27708
(home) 4115 Garrett Drive, Durham NC 27705
PROGRESS: the victory of laughter over dogma.
(Tom Robbins, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas)