Hi Peeps! My usual request for help with identifying this bird please. It was taken by the old Ibis patch - is it a leucistic Wigeon? It was feeding with a flock of them and has what appears to be pink eyes - or is it some other species not listed in the guide. Thanks in advance and sorry about the fuzzy quality
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Looks the same shape as the other wigeons ... interesting..
"He had softly and suddenly vanished away---For the Snark was a Boojum, you see." The Hunting of the Snark, Lewis Carroll
You are probably right with Leucistic John. I have racked my Brains (that didnt take long) and cant think of anything with pink eyes Other than Emily my youngest grandaughter when she sees my wallet,no they go green not pink :-):-)
I agree with leucistic Wigeon. I can't make out the eye colour at all but it looks to have a slightly darker patch around the eye (a Wigeon trait). Shape and size also say Wigeon. Interesting bird!
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Thanks Cath. It's a relief that it wasn't a 'Duhh' moment - something that I should have easily recognised. I started searching 'albino' but saw 'albino and leucistic' If it was albino would it have any pattering pigmentation at all? - I saw this today www.flickr.com/.../lightbox
which is a very sharp photo of a leucistic American Wigeon - so leucistic Wigeons are out there - although in this case the eyes are black and on mine seem to be pinkish (if you zoom in on the second photo, blurred though it is).
Albino birds have no melanin pigment at all, so pure white plumage and pink eyes. They can still show yellow/red carotenoid pigment though as that is diet-derived. An albino Goldfinch, for example, is white with a red face and yellow wingbar.
'Leucistic' tends to be used as an umbrella term for all kinds of intermediate levels of pigment loss, whether there is a mix of normal plumage with some pure white patches (often seen on Blackbirds) or a general pigment dilution, as in your Wigeon. It is usually caused by a spontaneous or inherited genetic mutation, but pigment loss can also occur as a result of dietary deficiency or even injury.
I agree with the Wigeon ID, closest bird I've seen recently is one of the local "muck ducks" so we do have to be careful as there are local ducks showing Leucistic colouration ...
Best regardsNigel
| My Images | Newport Wetlands on Flickr @barman58
Great information. Thanks guys! There's so much expertise in this group, very helpful for a novice.
They are also pretty good on Wikipedia! ;o)
*runs away*
;o)
Ant
*chases after him brandishing a wet Halibut*
Ok, please can I just remind folk to treat fellow community members with the respect and courtesy you would expect to receive yourself.
Coming back to the wigeons... leucistic and/or albino birds certainly do stand out from the crowd and this is certainly the case with this duck! I love the noise wigeons make that wheezy whistle. This chap/ess certainly seemsat home with the rest of the group.
Claire