leucistic Northern Cardinal

Comment

Comment by Dana Griffin, III on January 16, 2012 at 5:43pm

Thanks, Laura, for the comment. It's tempting to call such variants albinos, but they are not albinos which are incapable of forming any pigment in the skin or feathers. The eyes of albinos are pink because there are no pigments in the iris, allowing the capillaries to show up as a pink color. Notice the eyes of this bird are dark and it does have some pigmented feathers. It is a leucistic. Regards, Dana

Comment by Dana Griffin, III on January 16, 2012 at 5:38pm

Thanks, Jean, for your question. I'm not an expert in the matter of leucism, but from what I read it appears to derive from a mutation in one or more genes, mutations that block the formation of melanim. Since mutation rates, under normal circumstances, hold steady over time, it's likely that the occurrence of leucistic forms doesn't changes up or down very much. Events could occur that would chance the whole picture. A substantial increase in radiation in the environment might lead to higher mutation rates. There could be other factors at play as well. As you can see, this is a rather involved topic. Regards, Dana

Comment by Jean McLane on December 23, 2011 at 10:27am

Cardinals are my favorite birds at my feeder, so I am interested in your observations about leucism.  Kathy Freeborn recently posted "white cardinal 266", another leucistic one in PA.  Any idea if this is a trend?

Comment by Dana Griffin, III on December 16, 2011 at 6:55am

Laura: I'm pleased you liked the photo. Looking into this business of leucism, I find that leucistic animals, and many are not birds, are not suffering because of their unusual coloration. The major disadvantage, apparently, for a small animal like a song bird is the greater likelihood they'll be seen by a predator (hawk, cat or what have you). Regards, Dana

Comment by Laura on December 16, 2011 at 5:56am

Very cool.

Comment by Dana Griffin, III on December 15, 2011 at 4:36pm

Thanks, Vicki, for the comment. I'll try and alert ebird to this variant - that is if I can figure out how to do that. Regards, Dana

Comment by Vicki Miller on December 15, 2011 at 2:37pm

How lucky for you to spot one of these unfortunate birds.  Hope you'll report your sighting to ebird.org.