50 Cardinal Birds That Are Indescribably Beautiful

The molting pattern in cardinalids is divided into two types. A preformative molt is a partial molt where only the body feathers get replaced, but not the wing and tail feathers, seen in a lot of temperate and neotropical species. The second is an eccentric preformative molt is when outer primary and inner secondaries are replaced only. This molt is seen in some species of Cyanoloxia and Passerina.