Juvenile Plumage Research Articles

Notes on Wing Molt in the Yearling Wild Turkey

After examining a large number of specimens representing all races, Petrides (1942) concluded that retention of primaries 9 and 10 from the juvenile plumage into the first post-juvenile plumage (first-winter plumage) is a species-wide phenomenon in the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo Linnaeus). Later, in describing first-winter plumages in the Galliformes, Petrides (1945), somewhat reversing his earlier opinion, reported a tendency for Florida turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo osceola Scott) to retain only the 10th juvenile primary in winter. His latter finding has been repeatedly overlooked by subsequent writers. Distal primaries.-I have examined 37 juvenile specimens from the southeastern United States: 12 from northern Florida, 17 from Alabama, 4 from Mississippi, 3 from southern Georgia, and 1 from Louisiana. With only four exceptions, these specimens, taken in all seasons, retained only the 10th primary from the juvenile plumage. The ninth had been replaced with a feather similar to number eight. (The exceptions: one spring and one fall juvenile had replaced both distal juvenile primaries; one winter and one summer (second-year) juvenile were retaining both distal juvenile primaries 9 and 10.) Supplementing these data is the testimony of biologists in Florida (James A. Powell, pers. comm.) and Mississippi (S. G. Clawson, pers. comm.) that u keys in their respective states do not retain juvenile primary nine as part of their first-winter plumage. It seems clear, then, that turkeys in the Gulf States, including those of Florida and nearby southern Georgia westward at least to the Mississippi River, do not normally hold juvenile primaries 9 and 10 through the winter. The exact geographic ext t northward and westward is not readily apparent. Thirty of the 37 specimens examined by the writer came from the coastal plain of the Gulf of Mexico. Clawson (pers. comm.) reports that Mississippi turkeys from well into the northern part of the state (Greenville) exhibit a single juvenile primary during winter, but he can offer no definite information about populations north and northeast

Hybrids among the Fringillid Genera Junco-Zonotrichia and Melospiza

THE fringillid genera Junco, Zonotrichia, Passerella, and Melospiza form a closely related group. This relationship is indicated by the lack of distinctive morphological characters, and in part by the abundance of hybrids between Junco hyemalis and Zonotrichia albicollis (Townsend, 1883; Stone, 1893; Snyder, 1954; Warburton, 1959; and the Hamiltons, 1957). Additional records of hybrids between these two species include an adult male, taken 14 October 1959 at the Kalbfleisch Field Station of the American Museum of Natural History by Wesley E. Lanyon, and a bird (identified by Drs. Alexander Wetmore and John Aldrich) banded and released at Fairfax, Virginia, by Mrs. M. Brantley Peacock on 18 April 1960. Mrs. Brantley kindly furnished a detailed description of the bird she banded, which appears to have been a bird of the year. Further support for the closeness of this relationship is provided by a hybrid between Zonotrichia leucophrys pugetensis and Melospiza melodia morphna that collected on 26 June 1959 on the west side of San Juan Island, Washington. The specimen, a juvenile male (University of Minnesota Museum of Natural History 15515), was collected from what appeared to be a family group of young birds. It is in slightly worn, but full juvenile plumage. A juvenile Zonotrichia leucophrys was collected the same day. These two specimens were not compared with other juvenile sparrows until returned to Minneapolis, when the atypical appearance of what had assumed to be a slightly odd Song Sparrow was realized. The specimen, along with juveniles of the other two species, was sent to Thomas D. Burleigh, who wrote that he considered the specimen to be a wellmarked hybrid, and to Alden H. Miller, who wrote I believe we must acknowledge that it is a hybrid . . . even though there are some unexplained features about it.

The Nature of Barred Plumage Pattern in Gallus

Autosomal and sex-linked forms of barred pattern occur in adult plumage of domestic Gallus. Neither form is known in biotypes or subspecies of Gallus gallus. Bg (autosomal barring) and B (sex-linked barring) are mutants which appeared under domestication. Kimball (1961) has indicated that pseudo-barring of wild type juvenile plumage exhibits characteristics akin to those presented by autosomal barring of genic origin, as in adult Barred Campine. Pseudo-barring is a juvenile trait, largely or entirely lost in the objective sense at the adult level of development.Persistence of barred patterning in the wings of some G. gallus females, and its constant occurrence as a species characteristic in G. lafayettei hens, may properly be deemed extension in time of a juvenile phenomenon, i.e., projection of barred patterning at the adult level represents a case of pattern neoteny.In the present state of knowledge, the issue whether or not the nucleus (nucleic acid …

Classification of Sex-Linked Early and Late Feathering in 10-Week-Old Chickens

Warren and Gordon (1935) found that the juvenile primaries, axial, and secondary feathers were molted four to six weeks earlier in White Leghorns which were early feathered than in Rhode Island Reds and Light Brahmas which were late feathered. It has not been generally recognized, however, that this difference is consistent enough to classify early and late feathering within a single strain of birds.For the present study, wing and tail feather development between 6 and 12 weeks of age was examined in early feathering and late feathering stocks, which included New Hampshires, White Plymouth Rocks, Black Australorps, and various crossbreds. Definite differences were noted for the pattern of molt in early and late feathering chicks, regardless of breed.Most early feathering chicks could be distinguished at any time, between 6 and 12 weeks of age by the presence of both juvenile plumage (first set) and post-juvenile plumage (second set) .

ASPECTS OF EVOLUTION IN THE PARROT GENUS AGAPORNIS.

Summary. Agapornis, an African genus of parrots allied to Loriculus of Asia, has usually been classified in nine species. Their geographical, altitudinal and ecological ranges are described and their temperature relations are worked out. There is a general agreement with Bergmann's rule. Only two of the Agapornids appear to be in any respect ecologically specialized: to A. swinderniana, the only one confined to tropical evergreen forest, the seeds of figs may be an essential food; and A. pullaria is more or less completely dependent on the nests of arboreal insects for nesting-sites. The other seven Agapornids are birds of dry country with a wide range of food and are indiscriminate hole-nesters. All nine birds are practically allopatric. The four closely allied birds in East Africa, which produce fertile hybrids very freely in captivity, seem nowhere actually to meet in nature. Certain vegetation types, especially Brachystegia-Isoberlinia woodland, appear to be an effective barrier, for reasons not clear. Comparisons are made of colour, size and proportions, degree of sexual dimorphism, juvenile plumages, hybridization and breeding biology. Special points of interest are:— 1 The existence of well-developed sexual dimorphism and juvenile plumage in some Agapornids and their total absence in others. 2 The development of contrasting eye-rings; in two forms from feathers, in four others from naked white skin; that is, using two different physiological bases. 3 The persistence of certain features in the tail pattern throughout the genus, in contrast to the variability of other parts of the plumage. 4 The existence of two pairs of allopatric forms, each consisting of one pink-headed and one containing more melanin; but the distribution of the melanin being very different in the two “melanic” forms. 5 The fact that some forms of Agapornis carry their nesting-material in their contour feathers (a habit otherwise known only in Loriculus) and others do not. Although certain of the tectonic and climatic changes in Pleistocene Africa would, by sundering populations, have facilitated evolution of the existing forms, the isolating mechanism so provided seems inadequate. Most of the Agapornids fall into two groups, the older comprising the West African, Abyssinian and Madagascar forms. Main trends of evolution in the genus have been to eliminate (a) the habit of carrying material in the contour feathers, and (b) sexual dimorphism, partly by “grading up” the female plumage of the fore-parts and partly by eliminating the black under wing-coverts of the male. A proper picture of relationships within the genus demands the use of the newer taxonomic categories, cline, semispecies and superspecies, in addition to the species and subspecies. The genus provides a good field for genetical analysis. At least five sharply characterized forms, including subspecies, semispecies and full species, readily produce fertile hybrids, and one of the five has the habit of carrying material in the contour feathers.

ASPECTS OF EVOLUTION IN THE PARROT GENUS AGAPORNIS

Summary. Agapornis, an African genus of parrots allied to Loriculus of Asia, has usually been classified in nine species.Their geographical, altitudinal and ecological ranges are described and their temperature relations are worked out. There is a general agreement with Bergmann's rule.Only two of the Agapornids appear to be in any respect ecologically specialized: to A. swinderniana, the only one confined to tropical evergreen forest, the seeds of figs may be an essential food; and A. pullaria is more or less completely dependent on the nests of arboreal insects for nesting‐sites. The other seven Agapornids are birds of dry country with a wide range of food and are indiscriminate hole‐nesters.All nine birds are practically allopatric. The four closely allied birds in East Africa, which produce fertile hybrids very freely in captivity, seem nowhere actually to meet in nature. Certain vegetation types, especially Brachystegia‐Isoberlinia woodland, appear to be an effective barrier, for reasons not clear.Comparisons are made of colour, size and proportions, degree of sexual dimorphism, juvenile plumages, hybridization and breeding biology. Special points of interest are:— The existence of well‐developed sexual dimorphism and juvenile plumage in some Agapornids and their total absence in others. The development of contrasting eye‐rings; in two forms from feathers, in four others from naked white skin; that is, using two different physiological bases. The persistence of certain features in the tail pattern throughout the genus, in contrast to the variability of other parts of the plumage. The existence of two pairs of allopatric forms, each consisting of one pink‐headed and one containing more melanin; but the distribution of the melanin being very different in the two “melanic” forms. The fact that some forms of Agapornis carry their nesting‐material in their contour feathers (a habit otherwise known only in Loriculus) and others do not. Although certain of the tectonic and climatic changes in Pleistocene Africa would, by sundering populations, have facilitated evolution of the existing forms, the isolating mechanism so provided seems inadequate.Most of the Agapornids fall into two groups, the older comprising the West African, Abyssinian and Madagascar forms. Main trends of evolution in the genus have been to eliminate (a) the habit of carrying material in the contour feathers, and (b) sexual dimorphism, partly by “grading up” the female plumage of the fore‐parts and partly by eliminating the black under wing‐coverts of the male.A proper picture of relationships within the genus demands the use of the newer taxonomic categories, cline, semispecies and superspecies, in addition to the species and subspecies.The genus provides a good field for genetical analysis. At least five sharply characterized forms, including subspecies, semispecies and full species, readily produce fertile hybrids, and one of the five has the habit of carrying material in the contour feathers.

Emergence orders and growth rates in the juvenile plumages of the Brown Leghorn

Emergence orders and growth rates in the juvenile plumages of the Brown Leghorn

Growth Rates of Successive Feathers from Single Follicles in the Juvenile Brown Leghorn.

The juvenile plumages of the Brown Leghorn of both sexes pass through a series of changes in pigmentation during successive regenerations. These changes are particularly notable in the feathers which are present at hatching, or emerge shortly after hatching. In the wings and tails, for example, the first feathers to appear are stippled or mottled. The second generation of these feathers shows marked changes towards the adult pattern. In pigmentation, third generation feathers are practically identical with homologous feathers of the adult.It has been shown previously from this laboratory that there is a direct relation between the concentration of female hormone or thyroxin required for reaction and rate of growth of feathers. (Juhn and Gustavson,1 Juhn, Faulkner and Gustavson,2 Lillie and Juhn3). There is also a definite range of growth rates characteristic of the feather tracts, and of individual feathers within the tract (Juhn, Faulkner and Gustavson, 1931). These growth relations known to exist in the...

Developmental Analysis in Plumage. III. Field Functions in the Breast Tracts

Previous article No AccessDevelopmental Analysis in Plumage. III. Field Functions in the Breast TractsRichard M. Fraps and Mary JuhnRichard M. Fraps Search for more articles by this author and Mary Juhn Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Volume 9, Number 3Jul., 1936 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/physzool.9.3.30151383 Views: 1Total views on this site Citations: 15Citations are reported from Crossref Journal History This article was published in Physiological Zoology (1928-1998), which is continued by Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (1999-present). PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Richard O. Prum, Scott Williamson Theory of the growth and evolution of feather shape, Journal of Experimental Zoology 291, no.11 (Jan 2001): 30–57.https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.4Trevor Price, Ellen Chi, Mark Pavelka, Mace Hack POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENTAL VARIATION IN THE FEATHER TIP, Evolution 45, no.33 (May 2017): 518–533.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1558-5646.1991.tb04327.xMary E. Rawles An experimental study on the development of regional variation in the plumage pattern of the silver campine fowl, Journal of Morphology 105, no.11 (Jul 1959): 33–53.https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.1051050103John W. Saunders, Mary T. Gasseling The origin of pattern and feather germ tract specificity, Journal of Experimental Zoology 135, no.33 (Aug 1957): 503–527.https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.1401350307John M. Cairns, John W. Saunders The influence of embryonic mesoderm on the regional specification of epidermal derivatives in the chick, Journal of Experimental Zoology 127, no.22 (Nov 1954): 221–248.https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.1401270203Henry Gwynne Vevers The experimental analysis of feather pattern in the Amherst Pheasant, Chrysolophus amherstiae (Leadbeater)., The Transactions of the Zoological Society of London 28, no.44 (Jul 2010): 305–348.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1954.tb00002.xAlice L. Koning, Howard L. Hamilton Localization of enzyme systems, nucleic acids, and polysaccharides during morphogenesis in the down feather of the chick, American Journal of Anatomy 95, no.11 (Jul 1954): 75–107.https://doi.org/10.1002/aja.1000950104Mary Juhn FUNCTIONAL PERSISTENCE OF EMBRYONIC DETERMINATIONS IN FEATHERS AND LATE DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES IN SPURS, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 55, no.22 (Aug 1952): 133–141.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1952.tb26528.xMary Juhn Feather growth in Sebright bantams of henny, intermediate, and cocky plumage, Journal of Experimental Zoology 112, no.11 (Oct 1949): 109–123.https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.1401120108Hsi Wang Modulation of tract specificity by estrogenic hormone in experimentally produced feather-chimaerae of brown Leghorn capons, Journal of Experimental Zoology 109, no.33 (Dec 1948): 451–501.https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.1401090308FRANK R. LILLIE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF FEATHERS, Biological Reviews 17, no.33 (Jan 2008): 247–266.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-185X.1942.tb00439.x Frank R. Lillie , and Mary Juhn Physiology of Development of the Feather. II. General Principles of Development with Special Reference to the After-Feather, Physiological Zoology 11, no.44 (Sep 2015): 434–450.https://doi.org/10.1086/physzool.11.4.30152654Mary Juhn Emergence orders and growth rates in the juvenile plumages of the Brown Leghorn, Journal of Experimental Zoology 77, no.33 (Jan 1938): 467–489.https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.1400770308C. H. Danforth Pigment cells in heterogenous feathers, The Anatomical Record 68, no.44 (Jul 1937): 461–468.https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.1090680407PAUL G. 'ESPINASSE Bilateral Gynandromorphism in Feathers, Nature 138, no.34933493 (Oct 1936): 645–646.https://doi.org/10.1038/138645c0

Relation of Juvenile Plumage to Growth and Sexual Maturity

THE process of plumage development in the domestic fowl was studied first by Rice, Nixon, and Rogers (1908). They found that the sequence of molts in the domestic fowl (using S. C. White Leghorns) corresponds very closely to the sequence of molts in young wild birds as previously reported by Dwight (1900). Rice stained the first feathers red and the second set black. They report that at eight weeks all the red feathers in the tail and wings had been molted, and at thirteen weeks, all the black feathers had been replaced by white ones. They did not observe further wing or tail molt until just before the birds reached maturity, when the pullets shed all their feathers and assumed mature plumage.Lippincott (1920) observed on both American and Mediterranean breeds that the pelvic wing feather tract developed at about three weeks of age. He noted that this occurred at .

Juvenile Plumage of the Magpie-Lark

Juvenile Plumage of the Magpie-Lark

Thyroid Gland and Plumage in Chickens

IN a series of experiments now being carried out with Brown Leghorn chicks concerning the relation of thyroid gland to plumage characterisation, some interesting results are already apparent in the thyroidectomisod females. The operation was carried out when the birds were 6 weeks old, and 3 weeks after the operation the effect on the plumage became visible. Changes in coloration first appear in the contour feathers of the wing, shoulder and cape, the whole forming a continuous arc of brightly coloured feathers from one wing edge to the other when the bird is examined with the wings outstretched. Examination of control male chicks at the same time showed a similar continuous band of brightly coloured feathers replacing the juvenile plumage in these areas, while no such band was present in the control females. In the region of the saddle, brightly coloured feathers were also observed in the thyroidectomised females and in control males, while being absent in control females.

On the Wood Rails, Genus Aramides, Occurring North of Panama

FOR many years I have been gathering all specimens I could of the splendid, great Wood Rails of the genus Aramides with the hope of some day monographing the group. Unfortunately I have as yet been unable to bring together sufficient material from South America to attempt to include in review the forms of that country. I now have, however, a complete set of the species and subspecies of Middle America from Panama north to the northern limit of the genus in southern Mexico. A critical study of this material together with a number of skins kindly lent me by the United States National Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Bureau of Biological Survey of Washington, which include the types of Ararnides plumbeicollis Zeledon, A. axillaris Lawr. and A. albiventris Lawr. has induced me to publish now a short synopsis of the forms of Aramides occurring north of Panama. My views expressed in the following pages will be found to differ a little from those of recent authors, such as Sharpe in Vol. XXIII Catalogue of Birds in British Museum 1894 and Biologia CentraliAmericana, Aves, 3, 1897-1904, and I describe as new one form from Mexico, allowing to the region here treated three species and two additional subspecies. In all species of Aramides the sexes are alike in color and there are but slight individual or seasonal differences, apart from those caused of the wholly mechanical processes of fading and wear. Some species have a juvenile plumage, still worn when the bird is nearly full grown, that is quite different in color from the livery of the adults A. axillaris and its allies. Other species, apparently (I have seen but one young individual of A. albiventris plutmbeicollis, and none at all of the other subspecies of albiventris *or of A. cajanca) do not have a young plumage that is very distinctly different in color from that of the adults.