Drakes Eclipse/Nuptial Plumage pics

[shawluvsbirds]

blue fawn call duck in eclipse.

nuptial plumage. (Did I spell that right?)

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I'm curious about why my other blue fawn drake has never gotten the blue/green head but the rest of his feathers changed from juvenile to adult to eclipse. .but he has had the brown head ever since juvenile molt.

this is how he has looked up until this last month or so. Now he looks just like the duck. (The one above in eclipse) I'm anxious to see if he will get the head color when he changes back. Makes no sense to me because the gray drake I had got his green head during juvenile molt.

here is his picture almost complete

here he is after juvenile molt was complete.

 

[WVduckchick]

I'm curious about why my other blue fawn drake has never gotten the blue/green head but the rest of his feathers changed from juvenile to adult to eclipse. .but he has had the brown head ever since juvenile molt. View attachment 1470600 this is how he has looked up until this last month or so. Now he looks just like the duck. (The one above in eclipse) I'm anxious to see if he will get the head color when he changes back. Makes no sense to me because the gray drake I had got his green head during juvenile molt. View attachment 1470607 here is his picture almost complete View attachment 1470608 here he is after juvenile molt was complete.

Hopefully someone else can confirm this, but I would guess that he is either a very dark pastel and has double-blue, or he is just a lighter blue fawn. Kinda like blues in chickens, there are varying shades, usually depending on how they came about.
Blues can be created from different combinations of parents. Grey over pastel, grey over blue, blue over blue, etc. so I think that’s how we end up with slight variations in color depth.

 

[Quacking Pigeon]

You know the annoying thing about eclipse moult is showing, the birds never do that well as they aren’t in there normal plumage. It’s a real pain that this year they were very slow getting into season, if I would have entered in the second show of the year they would have still be moulting.

 

[happy duck]

Most have a mid season molt when they only lose part of their feathers, and just look a little ragged for a while. The major molt is usually an annual thing, after their first year. I think it normally takes 2-3 months to fully go thru it and re-emerge into their “nuptial” regular plumage.

Ok. I read a article on Fresh eggs daily and it explained everything to me so yay!!!

 

[WVduckchick]

Ok. I read a article on Fresh eggs daily and it explained everything to me so yay!!!

if you could copy the link here, that’d be awesome.

 

[happy duck]

if you could copy the link here, that’d be awesome.

Here it is:https://www.fresheggsdaily.com/2017/08/ducks-molt-too.html

 

[MROO]

For those of us not so up on "duckage," can you educate us on the terms, please? "Nuptial" sounds like breeding season plumage. Would that make "Eclipse" their off-season feathering? Or am I way off? This is cool!

 

[happy duck]

Now...as my duck is a pekin there is no color change in his feathers, but I will post a pic cuz who does not want to see little jeffery????

For those of us not so up on "duckage," can you educate us on the terms, please? "Nuptial" sounds like breeding season plumage. Would that make "Eclipse" their off-season feathering? Or am I way off? This is cool!

Read this link:
https://www.fresheggsdaily.com/2017/08/ducks-molt-too.html



I posted this link in the message above.

 

[casportpony]

I'm confused about the order of the molt. Obviously I know what their normal color looks like, but what order is it?

Is it this?


Or is it this?