What is Leucistic....
Jan 23, 2021 18:57:03 #
Here are two photos of Yellow-rumped Warblers. The first was taken in the summer up in the mountains where this species migrates in the late spring. In the winter, they migrate to lower elevations and become quite common here along the Southern California coast. The yellow, gray, black and white colors are common to all the birds, especially the yellow in the throats, under the wings and on the rump (rump isn't showing in either photo but that's how they got their name...their nickname is "butterbutt"). While the first photo is a normal yellow-rump, the second is unique...what would be called "leucistic". With albinism, they would lose all the pigment and have pink irises. Leucistic birds have lost the pigment in some of their plumage but not all. This photo of a leucitic "butterbutt" is unique...at least for me. Enjoy.
jak
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jak
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Jan 23, 2021 18:59:25 #
Jan 23, 2021 19:03:12 #
Jan 23, 2021 19:21:45 #
Jan 23, 2021 19:29:35 #
Wow! They're really beautiful - as are your shots 
I don't recall ever seeing them before 
I don't recall ever seeing them before Jan 23, 2021 19:40:42 #
Great captures. Thanks for giving such good examples. Please stay safe and keep on sharing.
Jan 23, 2021 21:17:36 #
Jan 24, 2021 01:07:22 #
NMGal wrote:
Very interesting.
Thank you, NMGal. Glad you found them worth looking at and commenting on. Have a great week. jak
Jan 24, 2021 01:12:30 #
Longshadow wrote:
Thanks for the reference, Longshadow. I stand corrected about albino animals having pink eyes as this is not always the case. Still leucistic animals do NOT have pink eyes...in that I was correct. Still, this is the first Yellow-rumped Warbler that I've seen that was leucistic. Thanks again and have a good week. jak
Jan 24, 2021 01:14:23 #
jdtonkinson wrote:
Very interesting and pretty
Thank you, jd. I agree that both birds are very attractive. This is the first leucistic individual of this species that I've seen. I've shared it with some of my birding friends and they had never seen leucism in this species either. Look long enough and you never know what you'll see. Thanks for the kind comments and please take good care of yourself. jak
Jan 24, 2021 01:22:05 #
joecichjr wrote:
Wow! They're really beautiful - as are your shots I don't recall ever seeing them before
I don't recall ever seeing them before Thanks for viewing and for the kind comments. They are beautiful birds, especially in the summer. I checked on their range and they may be found throughout the country. They like pine forests (though we see them in city parks and neighborhoods all the time during the winter) and are one of the more common species of warbler seen here during the winter. Their eating behavior is probably one of the reasons they are so common: they pick seeds and insects from the ground like sparrows and juncos, they climb up and around trunks and branches picking insects from the bark and leaves, and they fly out after flying insects like phoebes and flycatchers, so they seem to use all the more common feeding tactics to find enough to eat. The leucistic bird was a special and uncommon find and it beautiful in its own way. Thanks again and have a great, healthy week. jak
Jan 24, 2021 01:24:11 #
Ourspolair wrote:
Great captures. Thanks for giving such good examples. Please stay safe and keep on sharing.
Thanks very much for the kind and encouraging comments. I enjoy taking and processing the photos, and when I capture something that I think is special, it's fun to share it here on UHH. You stay safe and healthy too. I'll watch for more of your photos, so keep posting when you snap a good one. jak
Jan 24, 2021 07:14:06 #
Jan 24, 2021 08:03:41 #
jak86094 wrote:
Thanks for the reference, Longshadow. I stand corrected about albino animals having pink eyes as this is not always the case. Still leucistic animals do NOT have pink eyes...in that I was correct. Still, this is the first Yellow-rumped Warbler that I've seen that was leucistic. Thanks again and have a good week. jak
You also.
(This is the first I've heard of it.
)Jan 24, 2021 08:49:58 #
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