Hay Wijnhoven (2024) Are Woodpigeons Columba palumbus advancing their moulting date?. LIMOSA 97 (2): 62-72.

To study the moult process in the Woodpigeon, shed feathers were collected systematically within the city of Nijmegen from July 2020 to December 2022. This resulted in 956 primaries and 783 rectrices (appendix 1). Additionally, 126 primaries and 156 rectrices were collected from dead specimens and prey remains, and used as a reference collection. Both adults and juveniles displayed a complete moult (pictures 1 & 2). The descendent primary moult of adults started with primary 1 mid-March, and last primaries 10 were shed at the beginning of December, resulting in an average moult period of 9 months (figure 1 & 4). Within this period rectrices were moulted, with largest numbers (67%) shed in September and October (figure 3). Juveniles started moulting in their year of hatching, few birds succeeded in completing their first moult within the same year (figures 1 & 2). Later born juveniles were at all stages of primary moult by the end of November. Moult was arrested in December and during winter and restarted early February or March. If not completed in the previous year, juvenile moult resumed where it had been arrested (figure 2). After completion a new cycle was started and completed within the same year. However, some resumed their first cycle, simultaneously starting a second one. The latest born young of previous year did not resume moult in their second calendar year, but started a new cycle with P1, shedding the remaining juvenile primaries only in the course of this second cycle. It is concluded that, as a result of climate change (possibly enhanced by higher temperatures in the urban environment), the moult of the Woodpigeon nowadays starts about three weeks earlier than half a century ago.

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