FEATURED PHOTO: MOLTS BY AGE IN THE BRISTLE-THIGHED CURLEW AND OTHER SHOREBIRDS

Abstract

Prior to the 1970s, molt and its effect on age determination in birds—especially in the field—was not a thoroughly studied topic in ornithology. This changed somewhat in 1977, when A. J. Prater, J. H. Marchant, and J. Vuorinen published their influential work, Guide to the Identification and Ageing of Holarctic Waders.