molt

He was in molt, a sketchy splotch of red and black while he waited for his new plumage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

They molt multiple times, eventually becoming something less shrimpy and more lobsterlike, called a megalopa.

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2025

Most owls undergo a complete molt once a year, shedding their feathers and growing new ones.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2025

After years underground, periodical cicadas — insects of the genus Magicicada — are emerging by the trillions across more than a dozen states to molt, sing, court and mate.

From New York Times ● May 8, 2024

Father cited scientific proof that birds often molt during hot weather.

From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord

The final step in the metamorphosis, if all goes well: The case splits open, and the winged creature molts, ready to take its first flight in pursuit of prey, leaving the exuviae behind.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 11, 2022

A few days, a few molts, and a few milkweed leaves later, the caterpillar was about a half-inch long and fattening up, following a timetable nearly as reliable as a Swiss watch.

From The New Yorker ● Feb. 20, 2019

The young caterpillars go through five series of molts and instars over a period of 10 to 14 days before forming their chrysalis and transforming within it for seven to 10 days.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 4, 2017

Embryonic development is external and proceeds through larval stages separated by molts.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013

Although spawning occurs at sea, the young come into the estuaries and bays when a few weeks old to undergo successive molts and changes of form.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Pinky’s fame grew even as the bird bent, molted and faded with each turn of the calendar.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

“The lobster has molted into its final form,” Steinberger wrote in a blog post about the name change—a nod at his platform’s lobster-centric branding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026

The only drawback is that smoked shrimp can be harder to peel — particularly thinner-shelled shrimp that have recently molted.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2023

After thriving for 70 million years or more, enantiornithines may have suddenly become vulnerable in the cold weather after the asteroid when they molted all their feathers at once.

From New York Times ● Jun. 3, 2023

“I forgot — it was the custard creams we hexed —” Within a minute, however, Neville had molted, and once his feathers had fallen off, he reappeared looking entirely normal.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

A detailed analysis revealed that the molting pattern was irregular rather than orderly.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 18, 2026

Filming took place between October and January, to avoid molting season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025

Versatile and resilient, the lobster survives by molting, shedding its skin and growing into a new, bigger shell.

From New York Times ● May 20, 2024

While these mergansers are molting, one female is taking care of all the ducklings.

From NewsForKids.net ● May 7, 2024

Damaged spangles hung from her dress on hair-thin threads like some molting bird.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray