breeding plumage
Courtship display attire
Breeding plumage is the colorful, often elaborate feathers that many bird species develop during mating season.
Males typically display the most dramatic changes—brighter colors, longer tail feathers, ornate crests—to attract females.
This temporary plumage replaces the duller nonbreeding or winter plumage through molting.
The male goldfinch's brilliant yellow breeding plumage fades to olive-brown by fall.
- ruffPleated historical neckpiece
- iridescenceColor shift from interference
- courtship displaysBehaviors to attract mates
- courtship ritualBehavior to attract partners
- contour feathersFeathers shaping bird outline
molting · ornithology · nesting · crest · carotenoids · bright colors · visual communication · dawn chorus · hormonal changes · preening · spring migration · display · migration · mating · mating dance · strutting · show off · ornamentation
- feathersfeather, feathers, plume, down feathers, quill
- bird breedingegg, nest, hatch, chick, hatching
- bird markingsbars, bands, barred, banded, spots
- mating traitssexual selection, courtship, antlers, ornamentation, display
- Waterfowlduck, goose, swan, mallard, drake
- animal markingsspots, stripes, rings, patches, bands