[obol] Re: strange male red-winged Blackbird
- From: "Wayne Hoffman" <whoffman@xxxxxxxx>
- To: <shawneenfinnegan@xxxxxxxxx>, <stevernord@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 31 May 2013 19:50:57 -0700
Hi -
I have seen photos of several Red-winged Blackbirds that had
other-than-black bodies. The patterns were remarkably consistent and
oriole-like, with black heads, pale bodies, black in wings, white in tails.
Makes me think that these blackbirds evolved from an oriole-like ancestor,
by acquiring genes for overall black body and tail, and these individuals
have mutations that block this black overlay on the ancestral pattern.
Wayne
From: obol-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:obol-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Shawneen Finnegan
Sent: Friday, May 31, 2013 1:29 PM
To: stevernord@xxxxxxxxx
Cc: OBOL
Subject: [obol] Re: strange male red-winged Blackbird
Steve:
Thanks for digging this up. Bill Tweit was kind enough to show me that
bird. In some sketchbook is a field sketch I did of it. It resembled a
wheatear in flight due to the tail pattern. What a stunner it was.
Shawneen Finnegan
On May 31, 2013, at 1:09 PM, Steve Nord wrote:
OBOL;
While Harry's blackbird is not as extreme, I see some similarities of the
chest/belly with the the color/markings on a blackbird seen in the Puget
Sound area in 2000. I lived up there at the time and saw this amazing
looking bird. You would swear it was a new species, the markings so
distinct. Here's a link to photos on the University of Puget Sound website
taken by Ruth Sullivan.
http://www.pugetsound.edu/files/resources/4410_albinoRWBL.jpg
Their website states this:
"Partial Albino Red-Winged Blackbird
This bird was discovered on territory and photographed there, singing and
acting like every other male Red-winged Blackbird. This mutation seems to
occur with some frequency, as there are birds like this in several museum
collections, and others have been observed. They vary mostly in the amount
of white on the tail, the amount of pale color other than red on the wing,
and the heaviness of the streaking on the underparts. Apparently when a male
Red-wing is lacking some of its melanin pigments, underlying reds
(carotenoids) show up. In addition, perhaps some ancestral blackbird pattern
is apparent on the body and tail. All in all, this is one of the most
interesting types of albinistic birds."
Good Birding
Steve Nord
Beaverton, OR
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