juvenal plumage

[joo-vuh-nl]

noun

Ornithology.

1. the first plumage of birds, composed of contour feathers, which in certain species follows the naked nestling stage and in other species follows the molt of natal down.

Word History and Origins

Origin of juvenal plumage¹

< Latin juvenālis youthful, equivalent to juven ( is ) young man or woman + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

Natal down is quickly replaced by the emerging juvenal plumage and may often appear as tufts at the end of the new feathers.

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Perhaps half the birds seen were in juvenal plumage.

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The juvenal plumage of the Seaside Sparrow resembles that of the Sharp-tailed Sparrow.

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In the juvenal plumage flight feathers of the kites are brown, barred with white, much different in appearance from the dark, slaty plumage of adults.

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In juvenal plumage both species are entirely buff below, the feathers more or less tipped with dusky.

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