Photo: American Robin, Seth Honig
We are pleased to announce the winner of last week’s Monday Nature Mystery, Timothy Calkins!
Congratulations to Timothy for identifying this leucistic American Robin (Turdus migratorius).
Leucistic American Robin (Turdus migratorius). Photo: Seth Honig
According to All About Birds, leucism is not a genetic mutation, but rather describes defects in pigment cells that are caused during development. This may result in full leucism, where there is a reduction in all types of pigment. An animal with full leucism will appear paler than normal. Leucistic animals also may show irregular patches of white—this is referred to as partial leucism, and these animals are often referred to as “pied” or “piebald.” Because the development of the eyes occurs separately from other areas of the body, eye color in leucistic animals is not affected and will be normal in color.
Each Monday we’ll post a new mystery and identify the previous week’s winner. They’ll receive an ASNV hat or tote bag.
Here is this week’s mystery:
Who is this? Happy Halloween!
Be sure to post your guess on our Facebook page under the latest Monday Nature Mystery post. Good Luck!
Please check our guidelines here.
Monday Nature Mystery: Who is this? Photo: Judy Gallagher