Atypical primary molt patterns in greater sage-grouse: implications for age classification

Age-specific patterns of primary molt facilitate age classification of native North American upland gamebirds, a critical step in understanding their ecology, behavior, life history, population dynamics and harvest. However, deviations from typical molt patterns can create confusing plumages that complicate age classification. We examined data from live-captured greater sage-grouse Centrocercus urophasianus across seven studies in five U.S. states and wings from harvested birds in Oregon and Colorado for evidence of atypical primary molt. We documented atypical replacement through primary nine during preformative molt, atypical retention of juvenile primary 10 during second prebasic molt, and atypical retention of basic outer primaries during definitive prebasic molt. Atypical primary molts were observed more often in live-captured females (3.2%, n = 561) than males (0.8%, n = 494). Many individuals with atypical primary patterns, especially females, are difficult or impossible to reliably age by plumage or morphology and may bias research and harvest data.