Are drake curly tail feathers seasonal?

[loofa]

Our drake, a khaki named Clove hatched in spring of 2020, got curly tail feathers right on schedule when he was growing up - and he got the dark iridescent head. Then toward the end of summer 2021 we noticed that he no longer had any curly tail feathers, and his head had become more just dark brown, no longer iridescent. Now suddenly he has grown curly feathers again.

Are these changes in a drake normal? Seasonal?

Just curious, not worried as he seems healthy and happy

 

[Kelsykin]

Not that I have ever run across. All my drakes keep their curly tail feather, but I have seen other drakes pluck the feathers of competing drakes. Any chance another duck and him got into a scuffle and his curly feather was plucked at the time?

 

[Quatie]

Yes they do. They loose them during their eclipse plumage. I don't have a great picture of mine in the eclipse plumage, but you can see him down there and with no tail curl and losing his gray head. He eventually was hard to tell from a couple of my females. His lack of quack have him away. Then in the fall they get their nuptial plumage back.

 

[Kelsykin]

Yes they do. They loose them during their eclipse plumage. I don't have a great picture of mine in the eclipse plumage, but you can see him down there and with no tail curl and losing his gray head. He eventually was hard to tell from a couple of my females. His lack of quack have him away. Then in the fall they get their nuptial plumage back.

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I have never seen that happen with my ducks. My current AnconasI can tell the drakes from the hens only by that curly tail feather. Now I will have to go and take a hard look at the anconas to see if any of the drakes are missing the curled feather

 

[Quatie]

I have never seen that happen with my ducks. My current AnconasI can tell the drakes from the hens only by that curly tail feather. Now I will have to go and take a hard look at the anconas to see if any of the drakes are missing the curled feather

My drake didn't do it the first year. The Ancona could not have a nearly as noticable eclipse plumage. But all the mallard breeds have an eclipse plumage in drakes. Some breeds you can't see it as well, like a pekin will show no real change.

Here is some info on eclipse plumage. It is found in lots of duck species.
https://www.wintuaudubon.org/eclipse-of-the-ducks/

 

[neo71665]

I had mallards and yeah they would loose them

 

[loofa]

Yes they do. They loose them during their eclipse plumage. I don't have a great picture of mine in the eclipse plumage, but you can see him down there and with no tail curl and losing his gray head. He eventually was hard to tell from a couple of my females. His lack of quack have him away. Then in the fall they get their nuptial plumage back.

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oh! I've never heard these terms before! That's exactly what happened, he became almost hard to distinguish from my hens

 

[telandra2]

I have never seen that happen with my ducks. My current AnconasI can tell the drakes from the hens only by that curly tail feather. Now I will have to go and take a hard look at the anconas to see if any of the drakes are missing the curled feather

My Ancona drake lost his curl with the fall molt -- so its possible.

 

[Kelsykin]

My Ancona drake lost his curl with the fall molt -- so its possible.

I guess I missed it. They are two years old and I have never seen them without the curl. Checked today and the drakes have the curl.