Eclipse Plumage
Reading edition
Drake: Spring Plumage Hen
Drake: Full Eclipse
Drakes Emerging from Eclipse
Most ducks shed their body feathers twice each year. Nearly all drakes lose their bright plumage after mating, and for a few weeks resemble females. This hen-like appearance is called the eclipse plumage. The return to breeding coloration varies in species and individuals of each species. Blue-winged teal and shovelers may retain the eclipse plumage until well into the winter.
Wing feathers are shed only once a year; wing colors are always the same.
Drake: Fall Plumage
