basic plumage: Meaning and Definition of

ba'sic plum'age

Pronunciation: [key]
— Ornith. Ornith.
  1. the plumage assumed by an adult bird at its complete, usually annual, molt.
  2. (in birds having more than one plumage in their cycle of molts) the plumage of the first molt, usually the duller plumage.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.