this is ashley the barn owl. ashley is melanistic, which means his body produces too much black pigment – the opposite of albinism.
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Tag: genetics
this pied common raven was spotted in mammoth lakes, california. ‘pied’ birds result from partial leucism, a lack of pigmentation in certain areas.
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this leucistic canada goose was spotted in ontario, canada. leucistic animals are not fully albino, but still lack pigment and appear lighter than normal.
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this melanistic black-capped chickadee was seen at a feeder in maine. melanism is the opposite of albinism – too much pigmentation is produced rather than too little.
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today's bird 