Today we caught a red-shafted northern flicker at palo! Very exciting for us considering the size of the bird and the slowness of the day. This bird was also a great example of how one can age woodpeckers. Unlike most of the passerines we catch, woodpeckers can often be micro-aged up to after-third-year. The reason for this is that they follow a more drawn out pattern of feather replacement than most of the birds we catch. So, by looking at different tracts of feather and determining which ones are worn and which ones are fresh, we can age the bird accurately.
This particular female was determined to be a third year bird. It hatched two summers ago and retained all of its primary coverts and secondaries (and replaced many other feathers). About a year after hatching (last summer)it then replaced the outer three primary coverts, as well as all but two of the secondaries. The contrast between the thrashed and faded retained juvenile feathers and the replaced, darker and more fresh adult feathers is very apparent in the pictures below.
Amanda processing
No comments:
Post a Comment