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correct plumage terminology



Dear Carolina Birders,

Please allow me to correct some information I posted.

I wrote:
"Juvenile typically refers to a bird that has not developed a complete set 
of true feathers. An immature, on the other hand, has true feathers but 
lacks adult coloration." (a gross assumption on my part)

Thanks to several thoughtful folks, I was directed to some excellent avian 
glossaries. A discussion of plumage terminology by Ron Pittaway describes 
the terms "juvenile" and "immature" wonderfully. Here is an excerpt:

"Immature: A general and collective term that includes juvenile, first 
winter, first summer and all subsequent plumages until the non-changing 
adult (definitive) plumage is acquired.

Juvenile or Juvenal: To avoid confusion, it is best to use these two terms 
as having the same meaning. It is the first covering of true contour 
feathers following the natal down(s), or in certain species it succeeds the 
naked nestling stage without the natal down. Juvenile has a precise meaning; 
it is the first immature plumage. The juvenile plumage is worn briefly in 
most passerines, but much longer in loons, hawks, gulls, shorebirds and 
others. In most birds, the juvenile feathers appear looser, woollier, and 
differently coloured and shaped than subsequent stages. Some authors use 
juvenile, but not juvenal, as having the same meaning as immature, just 
adding to the confusion. Other authors use juvenile as a noun and juvenal as 
an adjective. For example, the juvenile is in its juvenal plumage. However, 
both words can be used as nouns and adjectives."

I will try to choose my terms more carefully in the future. Thanks for all 
your help and patience!

Leah

Leah Campbell
Blackstock, SC
leahcam@lycos.com
faeriemaiden@hotmail.com


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