While handling canvasbacks and redheads during spring and summer banding
operations in North Dakota 15 years ago, the "old hands" pointed out to
me that the older, experienced hens often - usually - had many white or
whitish feathers at the back of their heads and upper necks. They
attributed this hoary plumage to feather loss and replacement subsequent
to mating.

When the drake of these species mounts the hen, he holds her head and
neck with his beak while positioning and steadying himself. After a
number of matings - these birds are NOT monogamous - many hens could be
found with the feathers of the back of the head practically plucked.

I have not seen this written up anywhere, and it is certainly NOT
countenanced by the Bird Banding Lab as an aging technique. But it does
occur, and lends some credence to the hypothesis that feather loss may
result in some "albinism".

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, WA
anderjda at dfw.wa.gov


On Thu, 16 Mar 1995, David B. Wright wrote:

> On Thu, 16 Mar 1995, Christopher Hill wrote:
> > Does it seem possible to anyone that injury to an area could result in
> > white feathers growing from the injured area? I'm not sure where I got
> > the idea that the occasional white spot or feathers around a bird's head
> > were old injuries, but I often assume that, maybe without reason...
> >
> > Chris Hill
> > Seattle, WA
> > cehill at u.washington.edu
> >
>
> Could be. If a bird is forced to regrow a feather between molts,
> when it is not "prepared" to make a new feather, it may be more
> likely to produce a non-pigmented feather. Or maybe damage to the
> feather-producing structure could cause it. Either way, it seems likely
> that the same thing would be seen from time to time in pet birds, and
> thus mentioned in the avicultural literature.
>
> David Wright
> dwright at u.washington.edu
>
>