leucism – today's bird

I saw this leucistic (i think) jackdaw near an aquapark near my home in this years January i think 🐦

-that looks right! he’s beautiful, thanks for sharing!

a leucistic house crow, native to asia, perches on a ledge. while it was once believed that parent crows kicked white offspring out of the nest, that myth has been found to not be true – while abnormally colored crows may face social rejection, that usually happens once they have left the nest. leucistic crows do face other problems – they are easier targets for predators, and typically have weaker eyesight and feathers.

(x)

a leucistic black-billed magpie hangs out with normally-colored flockmates. normally, leucistic birds have shorter lifespans – melanin is component that strengthens feathers, and leucistic birds’ feathers degrade faster as a lack of that pigment; as well as making them more visible to predators.

(x)

a normally colored double-crested cormorant next to an abnormally colored (leucistic) member of the same species.

(x)

a common raven with leucism. leucism is similar to albinism, but is a partial lack of many pigments, not a complete loss. ravens are known for their black pigmentation; pure white birds like this one suffer from increased visibility to predators, as well as sometimes being rejected socially.

(x)

a leucistic common raven going for a stroll. while usually leucism (a reduction in pigmentation) presents as a few white feathers in ravens and crows, they can also be overall paler like this bird.

(x)

a leucistic greater prairie chicken. normally these birds are barred grayish-brown. leucism is a reduction in different pigments, not just melanin, that causes either an overall paler look or pale splotches (“pied”). greater prairie chickens are found in north america, though in only a fraction of their former range.

(x)

this juvenile leucistic wild turkey was spotted in texas. leucistic animals have a lack of pigmentation; their eyesight and feathers are often weaker as a result.

source: (x)

this pied common grackle was spotted in hudson, new york. the splotches of white result from leucism, a mutation that causes a lack of pigmentation.

(x)

a red-tailed hawk with leucism, spotted in texas. leucistic birds aren’t uncommon but rarely make it to adulthood due to being easy targets for predators and having weaker feathers and eyesight.

source: (x)