Leucistic Dark-eyed Junco
by Mary Lee Dereske
Title
Leucistic Dark-eyed Junco
Artist
Mary Lee Dereske
Medium
Photograph - Artistic Natural Photography
Description
I saw this odd looking little songbird near the Dragoon Mountains (near the Cochise Stronghold) in Arizona. I contacted the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to identify this bird. They told me: In rare cases, a bird does not produce melanin at a normal level or in a normal pattern. The resulting color patterns are referred to as being albino (all white, no melanin), leucistic (patches of pure white, limited melanin production), or with dilute plumage. Your bird has the characteristic white patches of leucism in addition to slightly diluted plumage (lighter gray-brown on the back and breast than a typical Dark-eyed Junco). The lighter beak and legs are also caused by the limited melanin production associated with leucism.
When birds produce too much melanin, they are referred to as melanistic. In addition to a genetic mutation, the unusual color patterns can be the result of injury or poor nutrition.
Uploaded
May 3rd, 2020
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