To most observers, molt seems an overwhelming subject.But birders use many aspects of molt more than theyrealize'”to distinguish juvenile birds from adults, to pickout an individual hummingbird from among dozens visitinga feeder, and much more.And for those whose interest goes beyond simply identifyingbirds, questions such as What triggers molt to start?How fast do feathers grow? and How long do they last? offera fascinating window into the lives of birds. Put plainly,moltrelates in some way to everything a bird does, includingwhere it lives, what it eats, and how far it migrates.Here, for the first time,molt is presented for the nonscientist.Molt is very orderly and built on only four underlyingstrategies: simple basic, complex basic, simple alternate, andcomplex alternate. This book clearly lays out these strategies,relates them to aspects of life history, such as habitat andmigration, and makes this important subject accessible.