Graduation Date
Fall 2016
Document Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Program
Master of Science degree with a major in Natural Resources, option Wildlife
Committee Chair Name
Dr. Mark A. Colwell
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Dr. Daniel C. Barton
Second Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Dr. Jared D. Wolfe
Third Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Abstract
Molt in birds is an essential physiological process. Intrinsic and extrinsic conditions, such as age, sex, location, or food stress, may cause individual variation in molt phenology. This study describes the timing of prealternate molt in western snowy plovers (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) wintering in Humboldt County, California, USA. Between July 2014 and April 2015, I photographed uniquely marked plovers twice a month and assigned dates of initiation and completion. I modeled sex, age, hatch date, and breeding location as predictors of molt phenology. I observed prealternate molt from October to April, which is earlier than previously described. Males began molting an average of 71 days earlier than females, and birds that breed in northern California began molting an average of 43 days earlier than those that breed in Oregon and Washington. Earlier initiation was correlated to longer molt duration, which suggests that males need more time than females to complete alternate plumage.
Citation Style
Journal of Wildlife Management
Recommended Citation
DeJoannis, Alexa, "Molt in individuals: A description of prealternate molt phenology in a population of Snowy Plovers in Humboldt County, California" (2016). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 16.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/16