The feather forecast: Timing Alaska SeaBird’s Breeding Plumage

Spring is starting to appear all over Resurrection Bay, and here at the Alaska SeaLife Center, many seabirds in the aviary are entering the early stages of their breeding cycle.

One of the most visible signs of this seasonal shift for the birds is molting—a natural process where birds shed old, worn feathers and grow in fresh ones.

Molting plays a critical role in a seabird’s survival. New feathers help restore waterproofing and insulation, but they also serve another important purpose: attracting mates. Some species transform with bold, colorful plumage just in time for courtship, while others go through more subtle, graceful shifts in color and texture.

Here’s a closer look at a few of our resident species and what to watch for during your next visit to the aviary:

Tufted Puffins

Tufted puffins have a unique molting strategy and undergo a complete molt in the fall after the breeding season, typically between August and September. During this period, they shed all their feathers simultaneously, rendering them flightless for about a month and leaving them more vulnerable to predators.

Their breeding plumage, including a white face mask and golden tufts, doesn’t start growing until May and June in the early summer. 

We’re starting to see some horned puffins complete the molt to their striking white faces and really beautiful tufts, like Miss Bonnie here! Others are just starting the process and still have their dark masks, like Slate. As they finish molting, you’ll see short, stubby wings replaced by strong flight feathers, and dull bills give way to a colorful, vibrant one.

In just a few short weeks, most will be in full breeding plumage, usually by May. Courtship displays will be seen from May through June.

Horned Puffins

Horned puffins have a different molting strategy than their other Alaskan alcid relatives. All seabirds molt twice a year, but horned puffins have their big molt in early spring, which includes their flight and tail feathers. They molt into their breeding plumage at this time as well, and become flightless for a time during the process. They then have a secondary molt involving only their body feathers in the fall.

Right now, the horned puffins at the ASLC are in the middle of that molt, so they might look a little *more* rough around the edges. You might see the darker face mask, a lack of rhamphotheca (a beige to yellow upper bill covering), and short, stubby wings as they molt and grow in their breeding plumage and flight feathers all at once.

Our other resident alcids and waterfowl have the opposite strategy. They undergo their big molt in the fall, replacing flight and body feathers after the breeding season, and then do a lighter, body-only molt in the spring.

By May, most of the horned puffins will have new flight feathers, bright white faces and chests, vibrant bills with rhampothecas, and fleshy “horns” above their eyes. Courtship displays will be seen from May through June.

Eiders (Arctic Sea Ducks)

While some birds are in mid-molt in early spring, others are already at their best. You might notice that our male spectacled, Steller’s, and king eiders aren’t looking rough around the edges at all… in fact, they might just be the sharpest-looking birds in the aviary right now! 

These three eider species (generally) are in their breeding plumage between November and July, so early spring finds the males in peak form—bright, bold, and ready for courtship. They will be showing courtship displays from mid-March through early May, so now is a great time to catch them showing off! 

Males briefly drop into non-breeding (also called “eclipse”) plumage between August and October while they drop and regrow their flight feathers. The term eclipse specifically refers to this temporary dulling of the typically bright male plumage. It’s brief, lasting only as long as they’re flightless, before they molt right back into their breeding colors.

For those keeping track: while “eclipse” plumage is a term used for waterfowl, it’s not typically used for alcids like puffins or murres, who spend a longer portion of the year in their non-breeding plumage.

Pigeon guillemots

Subtle Shifts for Murres and Kittiwakes

The ASLC aviary is home to 11 species of Alaska seabirds, and some, like those we shared in earlier posts, have dramatic changes in their plumage throughout the year. Others, like the common murre and red-legged kittiwake, have subtle (but still beautiful!) changes for their breeding season. 

Red-legged Kittiwakes show off bright white heads during summer, which fade to soft gray patches in the non-breeding season.

Common Murres flip the script, donning sleek black plumage for breeding, then transitioning to a lighter look with white facial markings in winter.

Next time you visit, take a moment to look closely. That scruffy wing, that bright white face, that little patch of gray? There’s a whole season unfolding one feather at a time, and we’re lucky to be able to witness it up close.

Your support helps us care for these species and protect the ecosystems they depend on.

Kaiti Grant, ASLC Media