first winter
Earliest cold season
First winter describes a bird in its initial winter plumage, the transitional feathering between juvenile and adult stages.
Birders use the term to identify and age birds in the field: The first winter herring gull has mottled brown plumage.
The phrase helps distinguish young birds whose appearance differs markedly from breeding adults.
- snowFrozen crystalline precipitation
- frostThin ice coating
- frost biteTissue damage from freezing
- coldLow temperature state
- cold snapBrief period of bitter chill
bitter cold · chill · December · January · newborn · fledgling · young bird · migration · survival · survival rate · harsh · bitter · ice · blanket · hibernation · bare · dormant · solstice
- colonial faithPilgrims, Puritans, Calvinism, Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth Colony
- Plymouth ColonyPlymouth Colony, Pilgrims, Mayflower, Mayflower Compact, 1620