alternate plumage: Meaning and Definition of

al'ternate plum'age

Pronunciation: [key]
— Ornith. Ornith.
  1. (of birds having more than one plumage in their cycle of molts) the plumage of the second molt, usually brighter than the basic plumage.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.