Subject: Re: albinism in birds
Date: Mar 16 14:52:13 1995
From: "Roger Peffer" - rpeffer at ctc.ctc.edu
In message <9503162202.AA00322 at mx5.u.washington.edu> writes:
> When I was in London many years ago I noted an amazingly high frequence of
> partially albinistic birds, and my hypothesis was that these birds existed
> in the city because there were few bird predators to home in on them.
> Albinism is probably selected against rapidly in nature, so we probably see
> a lot fewer of them than hatch out of eggs.
>
Our hypothesis is that the partial albinism in our juncos could be due to
"stress" during molting from the Chelan County Fires . This stress could
include (as you mentioned below) dietary imbalance from all the habitat that was
destroyed or altered. We only see them on the feeders in the fall and spring.
They appear to be at a slightly higher elevation during the summer, and lower
elevations during most of winter. It will be interesting to compare plumage if
we can recapture one of these birds after it has gone thru another molt.
> That hypothesis is still valid, but an alternative one to consider is that
> some dietary lack or inbalance is manifesting itself in these birds that
> spend all winter at bird feeders. I know wild birds in captivity sometimes
> change color at a molt.
>
> 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
>
>
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Roger Peffer- rpeffer at ctc.ctc.edu / 509-662-1651 X2017
Wenatchee Valley College /
Biology/Chemistry Depts. / I have met the enemy,
1300 Fifth Street / and they is us.
Wenatchee, WA 98801 / Pogo
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