Pilot study aging classification criteria for fledged juvenile white-winged doves

Nineteen eastern white-winged doves Zenaida asiatica asiatica were hatched and raised in captivity and used to develop an aging key that 1) quickly identifies juveniles based on a series of morphological features, and 2) provides estimates of juvenile age based on primary feather replacement. Birds were photographed every three days from 17 to 170 d posthatch to determine sequence of primary flight feather replacement; persistence of juvenile secondary coverts; and development of blue eye ring, black neck bars, and leg color. Eleven birds exhibited adult features such as absence of buffy-tipped primary coverts, blue eye-ring color, complete black neck bar, and red leg color at day 170 posthatch; two birds had these features as early as day 122. Replacement of primary feathers was variable among individuals beyond day 35 beginning with the third primary. Primary feather (primary notation P1–P10) replacement occurred gradually. By day 170, 2 of 17 birds had replaced all primary feathers, ...