>Out here at NOAA, I've been keeping my eye on a pair of Mallards, who frequent
>the grassy areas in front of my building. The female is slowly turning lighter
>and lighter - you can see daily changes! She started out (that is, when I
>started seeing her) as a regular Mallard ... or rather, I didn't see anything
>different.
>
>But over the past 2 weeks, she's been losing all color in her plumage. She's
>down to white and very light golden tan feathers.
>
>What's going on? I haven't seen feathers drifting around, nor do I know
>enough about ducks to know wether it is even the right time for molting. Any
>ideas? Is this usual?
>
>If you're out at NOAA (the NOAA on Sand Point Way, that is!), the pair likes
>to hang out on the parking-lot side of building #3, on the top level, in the
>grassy areas.
>
>Thanks for any help ...
>
>Susan Collicott
>susan at pmel.noaa.gov

Susan, this is absolutely astounding. Bird plumage fades over time, but
not at the rate you describe. I've never heard of such a thing.

Body molt takes a month or two in birds the size of a Mallard, and changes
would obviously be patchy as individual feathers were replaced, so you're
not looking at normal molt.

Feathers are more or less dead tissue, and there shouldn't be any
physiological changes going on in a feather to make it change color. Only
the fading process, which takes months and months.

I assume you have eliminated the hypothesis that the male is changing its
preferences, finding ever paler females in its travels (but then it would
have to take the time to woo and win them, not always the easiest thing).

Are there any puddles of bleach lying around the area? No?

I conclude your bird is impossible. At the very least it should go on the
Tonight Show.

Dennis Paulson, Director phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416