Influences of morphology and behavior on wing-molt strategies in seabirds

This review formally tests several widely held assumptions regarding the evolution of molting strategies. I performed an extensive literature review of molt in seabirds, extracting information on the pattern, duration and timing (relative to breeding and migration) of molt for 236 species of seabirds in three orders: Procellariiformes, Pelecaniformes, and Charadriiformes. I used these data to test three hypotheses relating to the evolution of wing-molt strategies in seabirds: (1) that complex molt patterns are more likely to occur in large birds; (2) that wing size is an important determinant of the duration of molt; (3) that non-migratory species are more likely to overlap breeding and molt. By applying traditional and phylogenetic comparative techniques to these data, I found support for all three hypotheses in at least one major seabird group. I hope that this review will serve as a guidepost for future molt-related studies of seabirds.