#MOLT

[onenicebugperday]

@bilgisticallykosher submitted: Picture I got last month, I'm really pleased with it. :) (No ID needed: Cicada and its discarded clothes.)

Somewhat freshly peeled...10/10

[ziggystarling]

My pet sad, pathetic, wet-eyed beast

[tinylongwing]

Out now in the Journal of Avian Biology! Pyle et al. 2024 discusses the evolutionary history of bird molt, and I was asked to illustrate this whole family tree in terms of molt strategies. I'm so pleased to have put this all together for the authors! This is a fairly technical topic and so I know how valuable it is to have an image to go along with it!

The Institute for Bird Populations has a post here that describes the paper, and includes a link to the high-resolution pdf of the above image as well as a link to the paper itself for those who really want to dig in deep. Check it out!

[orbital-inclination]

Behold! He smiles! Moltendreams!Au @.me og dreamtale @.jokublog

[esme-elora]

Molt hat!

Spice no longer has what my wife calls her "mischief halo;" the orange dot is gone and the top of her head is all black now.

[fluffybird1]

The nibbler is molting right now so they look really scruffy!

[progenycursed]

Progeny Cursed Chapter 13

The Pure Vessel undergoes the start of another molt and grapples with what it might mean for them in the future. Even like that, they still manage to make their reluctant friend drop its' wall.

*nervous*Am pure. Not feel. Not think If become pure, then can return to (siblings) Not move. Not feel Soul. Soul heal. Soul not pain. Don’t hurt Don’t move

Be pure

—̶͍̩͍̗́̆͝—̸̯̤̬͆̓̓ḁ̸̭̞͉̬̱̂̌͐̊̀t̶͇͉̫͓͈̲͒͗t̶͔̫̩͕̋̒͛͗̚͠ȃ̸̡͍͕͛̽͘c̷̪̍̇̿͝k̶̰͘ ̴̼̗͖̠̈́̕͜͜i̸̯̙̥͒͛͌͘t̸̡͖̹͕̮̉̈̇̐̉̕ ̴͓͔͕̏͑̏̋k̴̘͌̌́̚̕͠i̵͚̖̮̿̀l̴͈̹̺̖̒̂͐̔̿l̸͉̬̂̓̒̈̆̕ ̵̻̎̉̓̚(̴̣̮̰̎̅̅͆ẖ̵̻̦̗̾i̷̞̰̼͛͒͛͂́m̶͇̣̺͓̏͐͑̕̕)̵̢̢͔̠̰̆͝—̵̗̩̀-̷͖̖̞̞̯̈́̈̀̈́̎͝

Be pure for (siblings) <searing> don’t move. Don’t fall. Don’t move. Can’t fall. Won’t fall ̸̘͐̑̚͝͝—̶̢̱̅̉j̷̩̖͙̬͉̓͑̍o̵̙̊̔̋̆̎͝i̷̡͈̯̗̜̠̽͝ń̶̳͓̮̹͕́͌̕͝͝—̴͙̜̄̀ ̴̣͙͍̭̙̍̌͊̕w̴̧̼̮̯̹̓̓͋h̶̗̠̀ò̷̫̮͓̆̇̆ḷ̷̡͇̳̺̕e̴̢̬͇̖̍̈̓̓͘—̴̲͎͕̊̎͗̂̓-̶͓̩̘̲̝̘̆͋͘

<agony> no no. Don’t move. Dont fall

—̴̞̊͐̒͆̋̍̌a̶̩͙͋́̾t̴̯̭͚̩͗̐͆̆͊̎͑t̸̡͚̠͕̽͐̉͊̒̈́ã̶̧̯̖͕̮c̴̡̰̫̫̭͛͒̌k̷͈̅̌̾̐̃̑͠͠ ̴͖̲̻̰̣̐̂̈͜(̶̡̝͍̰͆̅̾̑̓̊h̷͖̪̥̹̔̈͝ǐ̷̖̠͎͛̇m̶̥̰̣͇̽͒͆̑̔͐̔̽)̸̺̹̹̠̤̹̕͝ ̵̨̧̪̻͖̠̽̏̈͝ͅr̶̢̫̻̻̖̯̼̒͆͂̊́ͅu̴͍̬͎̮̝͓͛̈͜ṅ̵̖̥̠̔̈́̾͂͝͝ ̶̪̳̮͈̈̈́̏̾̒̌͘k̸̹͔͔̉̆̓̿̄͌͂̽i̵̛̛̫̤͈͓̤̳̞͇l̴͖̥̬̩̟̥̋͘͝ḷ̶̘̽̀̑̆́͘ ̴̧͕͆i̴̧̜͖͈͗͐̆̏͝t̸̞̹̞̻̿̀̌—̸͈̮̭͈͗̂̍̑̽ ̶̞̥̓̐̐̐̽̀̈́̐—̵̛̣̻̼̗̈̋͊̄̅j̸̺̣̃̂̇̽̉̚o̷̞͙̞̒̃̒̔̎̌͘͝ȉ̶̥̮͐͘͠n̸̨̂̊͊̇ ̶̢̧̖̖̤͙͙̈̐̍̈́͑ͅř̵̡̟̻̠̘̰̝͒͋̋̍̕e̶̬̟̘̔̊͊̌̚l̸̰͌è̸̼͇͔̫͉̥́̃a̷̧̧̛͔͍̯͓̙͖̐̉̑s̸̫̘̲̻̹͗̑̑e̸̘̞̠̻̖͇̥̹̓̆̐͆͗̕ ̴̧̯̖̗̄́f̴̛̣͎̃̄̇͛̒ã̶̡̖̙̱̼̜͎̓̍͛͒̚l̴̳̺̝̥͔̈́̈̓͜l̵̟̹̮̭̹̠̉̈́̌̌̓͌͝—̷̺̝͗̏͠

<burning> don’t think. Be pure for (siblings). Don’t move

-̷̻͎̰͔͖̑̔͌͐̉̈́͝ͅ-̶̡͙͚͕̘̞̦͍̠̋̑̿̓̽̈̀̅̓̋̕͘͠j̸̢̡̨͕̱͖̟͖̍́̀̔̎̊͊ǫ̴̡͈̲̙̯̳͚̹̗̽͊̃̈́͆͛̏̌̈͜i̷̺͎̬͖̘̜̇͗͒͋͗́ͅn̴̹̞̩̯̟͉͋̏̉͌̿̂̏̚ ̶̧͇̖͕͙͖̫̬͉̟̏̑̇̂̎o̷̰͔͍̯̙̤͚͛͌̉̎̉̈͂͒̌̆̀̈̕͜ņ̷̲̬̪̗̻͖̮̫̝̖̲̄́̍́̾̀̿͗͒̀͝e̶̡̧̢̟̣̘͎͍̱̜̅̎̑͑͜ ̷̛̥̫͇͔̯͉̑̉͐̎̓̾̀͘̚͠͠͝r̷̨̢̜͖̯̯̗̼̞̝͐̑̈́͆͗̕͝è̴̯͖͔͗̌̎̏̌̀͋̀̕l̶̢̧͓̝̙̙̼̊̿͑͋̀͘ë̶̛͓̬̖́̎̆̎̍̐̃̀͠a̵̦̥͌̎̒̍̓̆̃̚͝s̵̢̑̀̅͋͂́̓͐͌̉̾̚͝ͅȩ̸͉̝̰͎̣̂͆̀ ̵̟͉̙̄̋́͊͌͂͌̾̔͊̕͝č̵̢̛͖͔̫̍̀̆̾̏͐͝͝ͅͅờ̸̡̫̳̝͈̈̾̉͋̄̂͆͘n̷͙̫͑͐̀̚͝t̶̛̫͉̜͈̼͚̀̋̇́r̴̨̝̥̹̩̖̪͚̮̖͍̈́̄͌̊͑͂̓͗̚͠ͅo̸̮̮̘͖̻̣̰̱̿̓͌͑̌̂̑ͅl̴̡͈̹̰̭̘͈̣̔-̴͍͎͚̱̤͚͚͔̞̭̳̒̌̽̿̅̈́̂͊̂͛̈͜͠-̷͎̲̦̝̺̗̻̭̹͕̿͜͝

<numb> how feel?

<numb> tired. Hurt. Feel…something

*panic dread* {         } *frantic* be calm. Be pure

*panicked* ~panting~ *relief* (he) won’t put (me) in void

*nervous* stop time. (He) watch (me) all day? *panic* no training. No (others). No thing pulling (him) away ~relief~ *tired*(he) serious? *dozing* (I) moved?

<numb> why this feel nice? *nauseous* Am melting? *tried sick* Be pure for (siblings)

what body look like after molt? Would (siblings) recognize new body or (siblings) not recognize new body? What (you) think? Do (you) think new molt hurt? Did you ever {void pulling mind down}?

Won’t talk with tonight? Ok. Am tired hurt. Won’t pester (you). Will (you) take (me) to bed? Please Thank

*dread queasy* Will (you) help (me) with molt?

Yes

*tired* Thank *nauseous* *anxious*

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Void Translation Markup guide:  () is referencing a person and due to the nature of void speak, don’t have direct translations.  [] a void callout. Type of call based on shape of lines. The closer to a circle, the louder the call. Intensity based on how many rings {} memories. Recalling past moments ** emotions. Little particle effects floating around their head <> physical feeling.  Lines/arrows in speech: single line=direction. Double line=a word/part of the sentence.  Solid line=present tense. Dotted line=future tense. Hollow line=past tense 

[horatioandalice]

Pascal has been doing a little Extreme Molting (he looks a lot better now, but he was looking pretty rough for awhile)

[theowlgoesmoo]

Well Molt, you treat people nice, they treat you nice back. And Dot thinks you've been very nice indeed. Thanks, big guy. So my wonderful friend MustLoveFrogs whipped up some more bug art for me, this time with Dot and her honorary uncle Molt, based on "Go Ahead, Take Her"

I absolutely ADORE how this turned out! Dot looks like the precious little bean she is, and Molt looks simultaneously spiky and huggable all at once. If you need them, they'll be having a tea party in the corner of the cantina. Hopper is not invited. Go check out my favorite frog too! Her art is FANTASTIC:

[gothmusiclatinamerica]

"Rosa oscura" by San José, Costa Rica-based post-punk and darkwave act MOLT off of their upcoming 2024 album Estados Latentes, to be released next month

[onenicebugperday]

here have some pics that my mom took

Yes!!! Magicicada time!!!! They are so small

[ziggystarling]

Rat baby...

[desmondsprettyface]

Ghostface sheds his mask (to reveal a cutie)

[ethanm8n]

Juveniles

August 22, 2024

Juvenile California Gull

Now that most of the local Olympic Gulls are out of their nests, scattered along beaches, docks and alleyways, I think it would be a good time to talk about juvenile plumages. I would also like to briefly explore the types of moult that young birds undergo in early life, particularly in their first year.

Juvenile Plumage

Nestlings in most species begin replacing their natal down in the nest in a process called prejuvenile moult, which results in juvenile plumage.* Juvenile plumages (and subsequent immature plumages, like those of larger land birds and gulls) are fascinating, fine-tuned to give a young bird the best chance of survival. Thrushes like American Robins are speckled with dots and teardrop patterns to confuse a chasing predator, while the muted grey and brown colourations of Larus gulls act as camouflage. In fact, as for adult birds, juvenile plumages serve multiple and often conflicting functions (e.g. predator confusion vs camouflage), which find balance through natural and sexual selection.1

Fledgling Swainson's Thrush. Notice the buff teardrops on the upperparts and speckled chest.

Formative Plumage

There is also a wide variety of moult strategies for immature birds. In most cases, juvenile feathers have to grow quickly, being semi-functional by the time the bird has left the nest. Because of this, these feathers are of lower quality than adult feathers. Combined that with the fact that most species have a longer delay between prejuvenile (first prebasic) and second prebasic moult than subsequent moults, many species have supplemental moults to maintain feather quality.2 The preformative moult takes place after, or even before, the prejuvenile moult has completed, producing formative plumage. In many songbirds, and small gulls like Bonaparte's and Franklin's Gull, this moult is limited to body feathers and some coverts, though there is much variation.

First cycle Franklin's Gull. This individual has some grey feathers appearing on its upperparts, marking the start of the preformative moult.

Alternate Plumage

Larger gulls (Glaucous-winged Gull, Herring Gull, Ring-billed Gull, etc.) do not have a preformative moult.** Whereas the prebasic moult is usually complete (replacing body and flight feathers) and coincides with the nonbreeding season, the prealternate moult replaces less feathers. Alternate plumage--think of it as alternating with basic plumage annually--is completed around the breeding season for many species, and is often when you see birds at their most colourful. Birds that take multiple years to reach adulthood still undergo this prealternate "prebreeding" moult--it just looks a little messy. When my local Olympic Gull Juveniles start developing grey feathers on their backs, that is the prealternate moult in progress.

First cycle Ring-billed Gull beginning its prealternate moult (light grey on upperparts).

I know I am throwing a lot of jargon around--moults, cycles and bears, oh my! If anything, this is just me, a novice birder, trying to express my excitement about such misunderstood and under appreciated subjects as the plumages of juvenile and immature birds and the process of moult in general.

Until next time.

*I might confuse a few people writing about H-P terminology and the WRP system in Canadian English. Hopefully more Old World articles begin to be written using these standards, trading in Life Cycle terminology, which has an initially shallow learning curve, with that which better accounts for eclipse plumages in ducks and variation in moult duration in neotropical birds.3

**Preformative moults actually occur in most birds, according to Pyle. However, it is not appreciable enough in the larus gulls I come across. I need to look into this further.

References

Jenni, Lukas, and Raffael Winkler. “The Biology of Moult in Birds.” Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020, pp. 10.

Pyle, Peter. “Identification Guide to North American Birds.” Part 1, Second Edition, Slate Creek Press, California, 2022, pp 16.

Wolfe, Jared D, et al. “Ecological and evolutionary significance of molt in lowland Neotropical landbirds.” Ornithology, Volume 138, Issue 1, 2021. doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukaa073

[nymori]

I wanted to make one more cicada cross stitch before the double brood hatches, so I decided to feature Shedinja! It's modeled after the husk left behind when cicada nymphs molt into adulthood. I love how the shading turned out on this!

[wouldyourfavepaychildsupport]