[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":195},["ShallowReactive",2],{"glossary_en:\u002Fslovar\u002Flinka-u-ptic":3,"alt-locale:glossary_en:\u002Fslovar\u002Flinka-u-ptic":95,"section-listing:glossary_en:\u002Fslovar":96,"section-listing:disabled":190,"related-covers:en:\u002Fslovar\u002Fgnezdovanie|\u002Fslovar\u002Fpuhovoi-ptenec|\u002Fvidy-ptic\u002Fvidy":191},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"coverImage":58,"description":59,"extension":60,"faq":61,"imagePrompt":68,"meta":69,"navigation":70,"order":71,"pageType":72,"path":73,"publishedAt":74,"readingMinutes":75,"relatedLinks":76,"seo":89,"sitemap":92,"stem":93,"tags":71,"updatedAt":71,"__hash__":94},"glossary_en\u002Fslovar\u002Flinka-u-ptic.md","Molt in Birds",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":52},"minimark",[9,14,23,37,41],[10,11,13],"h2",{"id":12},"why-birds-molt","Why birds molt",[15,16,17,18,22],"p",{},"Feathers are dead structures once fully grown — they cannot repair themselves — so they must be periodically replaced as they wear down from flight, sun exposure, and daily abrasion. ",[19,20,21],"strong",{},"Molt"," is this replacement process: old feathers are shed and new ones grow in from the same follicles, usually following a specific, orderly sequence rather than falling out all at once. Most adult birds molt at least once a year, typically after the breeding season, when the energetic demands of raising chicks have eased but before the stresses of migration or winter begin.",[15,24,25,26,31,32,36],{},"Flight feathers are molted with particular care, since losing too many at once would seriously impair flight. Songbirds like the ",[27,28,30],"a",{"href":29},"\u002Fen\u002Fvidy-ptic\u002Fvidy\u002Fobyknovenny-skvorets","common starling"," molt flight feathers gradually and in a fixed, symmetrical sequence on both wings, keeping enough intact feathers to fly normally throughout the process. Ducks and geese, including the ",[27,33,35],{"href":34},"\u002Fen\u002Fvidy-ptic\u002Fvidy\u002Fkryakva","mallard",", take the opposite strategy: they drop all their flight feathers within days of each other and become flightless for two to four weeks, a vulnerable period they typically time to coincide with abundant food and reduced predation pressure, often on open water offering some safety from land predators.",[10,38,40],{"id":39},"seasonal-plumage-change","Seasonal plumage change",[15,42,43,44,47,48,51],{},"In many species, molt does double duty: it not only replaces worn feathers but also produces a different-looking plumage. A ",[19,45,46],{},"pre-breeding molt"," in late winter or spring can bring in brighter, more conspicuous feathers used in mate attraction and territory display, while a ",[19,49,50],{},"post-breeding molt"," later in the year replaces this with duller, better-camouflaged plumage for the months outside the breeding season. This is most dramatic in many duck species, where males spend a period in an inconspicuous \"eclipse\" plumage that closely resembles the female before molting back into their bright breeding colors ahead of the next season.",{"title":53,"searchDepth":54,"depth":54,"links":55},"",2,[56,57],{"id":12,"depth":54,"text":13},{"id":39,"depth":54,"text":40},"\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Flinka-u-ptic.png","Molt is the periodic shedding and replacement of feathers, essential for flight efficiency, insulation, and — in many species — seasonal changes in plumage color.","md",[62,65],{"q":63,"a":64},"Can birds still fly while molting?","Most songbirds molt their flight feathers gradually and symmetrically, a few at a time on each wing, so they remain fully capable of flight throughout. Some waterfowl, including ducks and geese, are an exception: they molt all their flight feathers at once and become flightless for several weeks, typically timing this vulnerable period to coincide with abundant food and reduced need to travel.",{"q":66,"a":67},"Why do some birds look different in summer and winter?","Many species undergo two molts a year, producing a brighter breeding plumage in spring through a partial molt, then replacing it with a duller, more camouflaged non-breeding plumage after the breeding season — a pattern especially pronounced in many wader and duck species where males in particular look strikingly different between seasons.","Photorealistic macro photo, a close-up of a Sturnus vulgaris common starling's back and folded wing showing a patchwork of fresh dark glossy feathers mixed with a few worn brownish old feathers mid-molt, individual feather shafts and barb structure visible in sharp detail, soft-focus garden fence background, gentle overcast daylight, shallow depth of field, 16:9",{},true,null,"glossary","\u002Fslovar\u002Flinka-u-ptic","14.07.2026",1,[77,81,85],{"label":78,"path":79,"description":80},"Nesting","\u002Fslovar\u002Fgnezdovanie","Building and using a nest to raise chicks",{"label":82,"path":83,"description":84},"Downy chick","\u002Fslovar\u002Fpuhovoi-ptenec","A chick's first, soft feather covering",{"label":86,"path":87,"description":88},"Species catalogue","\u002Fvidy-ptic\u002Fvidy","Browse all bird species covered in the atlas",{"title":90,"description":91},"Molt in Birds — why and how feathers are replaced","What molt is, why birds molt, and how flight-feather replacement differs between songbirds and waterfowl like ducks and geese.",{"loc":73},"slovar\u002Flinka-u-ptic","2nR6SieZXS4lt95EPygqd80YQ3eBYXm1a6fbsHc8VKc",{"ru":70,"es":70},[97,102,107,112,117,122,127,131,136,141,146,151,156,157,162,165,170,175,180,185],{"title":98,"description":99,"path":100,"coverImage":101,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},"Bird Feeder","A bird feeder provides supplementary food, most valuably in winter, and lets birdwatchers observe species up close — but it needs regular cleaning to avoid spreading disease.","\u002Fslovar\u002Fkormushka-dlya-ptic","\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Fkormushka-dlya-ptic.png",{"title":103,"description":104,"path":105,"coverImage":106,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},"Bird Migration","Bird migration is the regular, seasonal movement of birds between breeding and non-breeding ranges — driven by food availability and daylight, not simply cold weather.","\u002Fslovar\u002Fmigraciya-ptic","\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Fmigraciya-ptic.png",{"title":108,"description":109,"path":110,"coverImage":111,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},"Bird Ringing","Bird ringing (banding) attaches a small, uniquely numbered metal or plastic ring to a bird's leg, allowing individuals to be tracked across recaptures and sightings.","\u002Fslovar\u002Fkolcevanie-ptic","\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Fkolcevanie-ptic.png",{"title":113,"description":114,"path":115,"coverImage":116,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},"Bird of Prey (Raptor)","A bird of prey, or raptor, hunts live vertebrate prey using strong grasping feet and a hooked bill — a functional grouping spanning several unrelated families, including falcons, hawks, and owls.","\u002Fslovar\u002Fpernatyi-hishchnik","\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Fpernatyi-hishchnik.png",{"title":118,"description":119,"path":120,"coverImage":121,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},"Birdwatching","Birdwatching is the recreational observation and identification of wild birds, ranging from casual garden watching to structured trips to specific sites and seasons.","\u002Fslovar\u002Fbirdwatching","\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Fbirdwatching.png",{"title":123,"description":124,"path":125,"coverImage":126,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},"Conservation Status of Birds (LC\u002FNT\u002FVU\u002FEN\u002FCR)","Conservation status is a standardized IUCN category — from Least Concern to Extinct — measuring how close a species is to disappearing across its entire range.","\u002Fslovar\u002Fohrannyi-status-ptic","\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Fohrannyi-status-ptic.png",{"title":128,"description":129,"path":83,"coverImage":130,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},"Downy Chick","A downy chick is a hatchling covered in soft, fluffy natal down rather than true feathers — its exact appearance and mobility depend on whether the species is precocial or altricial.","\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Fpuhovoi-ptenec.png",{"title":132,"description":133,"path":134,"coverImage":135,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},"Egg Clutch","A clutch is the full set of eggs a female bird lays in a single nesting attempt — its size varies by species from a single egg to over a dozen.","\u002Fslovar\u002Fkladka-yaic","\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Fkladka-yaic.png",{"title":137,"description":138,"path":139,"coverImage":140,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},"Egg Incubation","Incubation is the process of keeping eggs at a stable, warm temperature until they hatch, usually by direct body contact through a bare, blood-vessel-rich brood patch.","\u002Fslovar\u002Finkubaciya-yaic","\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Finkubaciya-yaic.png",{"title":142,"description":143,"path":144,"coverImage":145,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},"Endemic Species","An endemic species occurs naturally in one specific geographic area and nowhere else in the world, making it a priority for conservation attention.","\u002Fslovar\u002Fendemik","\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Fendemik.png",{"title":147,"description":148,"path":149,"coverImage":150,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},"Migration Flyway","A migration flyway is the broad geographic corridor a population of migratory birds consistently follows between breeding and wintering ranges, often shaped by coastlines and mountains.","\u002Fslovar\u002Fmigracionnyi-put","\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Fmigracionnyi-put.png",{"title":152,"description":153,"path":154,"coverImage":155,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},"Migratory Birds","Migratory birds leave their breeding range for a separate wintering range on a predictable seasonal schedule, returning to breed in the same area each spring.","\u002Fslovar\u002Fpereletnye-ptitsy","\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Fpereletnye-ptitsy.png",{"title":5,"description":59,"path":73,"coverImage":58,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},{"title":158,"description":159,"path":160,"coverImage":161,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},"Nest Box","A nest box is an artificial cavity built to attract hole-nesting birds where natural tree cavities are scarce, from starling boxes to smaller tit and sparrow boxes.","\u002Fslovar\u002Fskvorechnik","\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Fskvorechnik.png",{"title":78,"description":163,"path":79,"coverImage":164,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},"Nesting is the full process of building or selecting a nest site, laying and incubating eggs, and raising chicks to independence — behavior that varies enormously between bird families.","\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Fgnezdovanie.png",{"title":166,"description":167,"path":168,"coverImage":169,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},"Nomadic Birds","Nomadic (irruptive) birds move irregularly and unpredictably between areas in response to fluctuating food supply, rather than following a fixed seasonal migration.","\u002Fslovar\u002Fkochuyushchie-ptitsy","\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Fkochuyushchie-ptitsy.png",{"title":171,"description":172,"path":173,"coverImage":174,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},"Passage Migrants","A passage migrant is a bird seen in a region only briefly, while traveling between a breeding range and a wintering range that both lie elsewhere.","\u002Fslovar\u002Fproletnye-ptitsy","\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Fproletnye-ptitsy.png",{"title":176,"description":177,"path":178,"coverImage":179,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},"Precocial and Altricial Birds","Precocial chicks hatch mobile, feathered, and able to feed themselves within hours; altricial chicks hatch blind, naked, and entirely dependent on their parents.","\u002Fslovar\u002Fvyvodkovye-i-ptencovye-ptitsy","\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Fvyvodkovye-i-ptencovye-ptitsy.png",{"title":181,"description":182,"path":183,"coverImage":184,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},"Range (Habitat Range)","A species' range is the total geographic area where it occurs, distinct from habitat, which describes the type of environment it uses within that area.","\u002Fslovar\u002Fareal-obitaniya","\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Fareal-obitaniya.png",{"title":186,"description":187,"path":188,"coverImage":189,"publishedAt":74,"order":71},"Resident Birds","Resident birds stay within the same general area year-round, neither migrating to a separate wintering range nor undertaking large nomadic movements.","\u002Fslovar\u002Fosedlye-ptitsy","\u002Fimages\u002Fslovar\u002Fosedlye-ptitsy.png",[],[192,193,194],{"label":78,"path":79,"description":80,"coverImage":164},{"label":82,"path":83,"description":84,"coverImage":130},{"label":86,"path":87,"description":88,"coverImage":71},1787114563843]