Ian and Tweeters,

Here's an answer to the magpie question-- yellowish bills can occur on
abnormally pigmented Black-billed Magpies. (Message forwarded from the
"Albertabird" group.)

Wayne C. Weber
Kamloops, BC
contopus at shaw.ca



----- Original Message -----
From: grantgussie <grantgussie at yahoo.ca>
To: <Albertabird at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2002 12:27 PM
Subject: [Albertabird] Re: FW: [BIRDWG01] "yellow-billed" magpie


> --- In Albertabird at y..., "Barb Beck" <barb.beck at u...> wrote:
> >
> > A few years ago there was talk of a magpie with a yellow bill
> > hanging around someplace in alberta. Anybody remember some
details
> > of this?
> >
> There was a magpie with a zero-black mutation (not quite an albino)
> in Bowmont Park, Calgary, in the early 90s. It had a straw-colored
> bill and legs. All the usually black feathered areas were however
> buff colored, so it could never have been mistaken for a yellow-
> billed magpie.
>
> Grant Gussie
> Calgary, Alberta