1. The molting to adult plumage of three hand raised young Gray Starlings Sturnus cineraceus was observed.
2. The plumage of the young is first grayish and turns brownish or even rustic before molting begins, which is about 40 day after hatching and about 20 days after leaving the nest.
3. The wing quills of both sides are usually shed at the same time.
4. The primaries molt from innermost (I) to outer ones, and the last one (IX) was shed 84 days after the first primary (in bird A). Possibly normal molting intervals were: more or less a week for I-II, III-IV, IV-V, V-VI, (VI-VII on one side) and about two weeks for II-III and (VI-VII on one side), VII-VIII and VIII-IX.
5. The maximum body weights (measured in the evening) markedly increased before the molting of primaries, but minimum body weights (measured in the early morning) were rather constant. Thus the increased body weights have possibly been used for growing new quills (see Fig. 2).
6. In the female observed which was rather ill-nourished, remolting of the primaries began in the regular sequence (with an overlap of the first and second molting). The intervals from the first molting of I primary to its second molting were 52 (left) and 54 (right) days.
7. primaries was unsheathed after about a week of shedding and was completely grown in about 20 days. The rates of growth of unsheathed feathers were average 0.2mm per hour and 4-5mm per day.
8. The primary coverts molted 2-8 days after the primaries with which they are growing together.
9. The bustard wing molted during the later part of the molting period of the primaries.
10. The molting of secondaries occurred 35-40 days after the shedding of I-primary and during the molting of V, VI primaries. Molting proceeds slowly from inner to outer secondaries, with the intervals of about 20 days (though within 10 days between III-IV) in an observed case, and two months from the molting of I-secondary to V-secondary.
11. The tertiaries were shed after the molting of I-secondary, in a sequence of II-III-I, the interval having been 21 days for II-III and 10 days for III-I.
12. The greater wing-coverts molted at the same time and irregularly, with no relation with the secondaries.
13. The tail molt was commenced by the 4 central feathers and proceeded to outer ones.
14. The main molting of body plumage began about 70 days after hatching and 30 days after the shedding of I-primary, first on the flanks and lower back. The molting of the crown to fore-neck and upper scapulars delayed most. The body molting was completed at about 120 days after hatching, but the last primary and secondary were completed at 130 and 140-150 days after hatching.
15. No marked difference was noticed in the speed of molting by early (early July) and later (early August) young birds in captivity.
