Arrested moult
The situation where the progress of a bird's moult is suspended for a period, to be resumed later. An example of a species which normally arrests its moult is the Common Tern Sterna hirundo, which begins its moult prior to the autumn migration, suspends it during the migration itself and then continues to moult after arrival in its winter quarters.From Peter Weaver's Birdwatcher's Dictionary
Copyright © 1981 by Peter Weaver