Hi Ted and everyone,



I'll leave it to someone more knowledgeable to comment on their commonality.? I do have?some interesting information?that probably speaks to?their longevity, however.? My wife is originally from Hawaii, and in Hawaii there are many pure white pigeons - many more so than on the mainland, which she noticed when she came to the mainland to go to school.? The prime theory for this discrepancy in commonality in the population is the lack of avian predators of the pigeons in Hawaii - specifically, no falcons or accipiters.? If you're a Peregrine Falcon on the hunt for a pigeon meal, it seems probable that an all or mostly white bird would make a much easier target to track and capture, and presumably white pigeons on the mainland therefore fall prey disproportionately to falcons and accipiters, selecting them out of the population pretty efficiently over time.?



If you're a Far Side (Gary Larson) fan, this is reminiscent of his classic "Bummer of a birthmark, Hal." cartoon in which one deer is commenting on the other's bullseye birthmark.



John Tubbs

Snoqualmie, WA

johntubbs at comcast.net

www.tubbsphoto.com


----- Original Message -----
From: "TedR" <coffeemonkey101 at comcast.net>
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2009 9:51:08 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
Subject: [Tweeters] albino Rock Pigeon


How common is an albino Rock Pigeon?? I spotted one today and was able to snap a few photos.? I'll have those off the camera tomorrow.


TedR
Fredrickson, WA
mailto:coffeemonkey101 ATcomcast DOT net
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