Leucistic Pied Currawong (Strepera graculina) at the Royal Botanical Gardens Sydney, 2018.
Earlier this year I got wind of a very special, unusual bird at the Gardens. Like any sensible birder, I immediately made plans with friends for a day trip! I was not disappointed – found her within half an hour on site. She was foraging under some of the spectacular trees of the Gardens, feeding her two fledglings, both of whom had typical plumage. I didn’t want to disturb her so didn’t get too close, but I watched her for a while.
This bird is fairly typical for ‘piebald’ presentation of leucism. She still has normal coloured eyes and bill, and if you look closely you’ll see that despite her pink feet, her claws are still dark! Mutations like this are a favorite of mine, and it’s not often I get to see them first hand. For more info and a look at how variable leucism can be, and how easy it is to confuse with albinism, check out this recent discussion.
Shout out to @zoologicallyobsessed for tolerating my enthusiasm during the trip! I was just about out of my mind with glee when I saw this bird.
This black flamingo was spotted in Cyprus. It is just the second black flamingo ever seen. The first one was seen in Israel in 2014 but experts believe they may be the same bird, meaning that only one black flamingo has ever been seen. The black flamingo is affected with melanism, which is a condition caused by an overproduction of melanin, darkening the skin. An animal with melanism is a very rare sight.
Here for the underdogs 