ABSTRACT
The trumpeter species are confined to Amazonia, and are generally isolated from each other by major river barriers. Although allied with cranes and rails, trumpeters have a distinctive shape. The molt of trumpeters has been poorly studied, except for a limited description by Sherman based on tracking a population of 46 banded birds in Cocha Cashu, Peru. In North American Gruiformes, the predominant molt strategy is the Complex Basic Strategy with limited to partial preformative molts. The description that iridescent throat feathers emerging at 9 weeks of age are strongly suggestive, although whether this is part of a protracted prejuvenile molt is not certain. Trumpeters have a relatively unique cooperative breeding system where only a few members in the group breed, but they all share in raising young and multiple members of both sexes share in incubation, although it is not clear if brood patches or other incubation signals are visible when handling birds.
