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I was checking old copies of the Australian Bird
Watcher for references to Black-necked Storks when I came across a note entitled
'Abnormally Plumaged Australian Shelduck' by Jaroslav Klapste (Vol. 9 No.3
September 1981, page 96). I selectively quote from it below:
"While watching birds at the MMBW Farm, Werribee on
14 February 1981........had the opportunity to see the Australian Shelduck....
in abnormal plumage. .... a group of twelve Australian Shelducks....were
resting... One of these birds was conspicuous from a distance, being both paler
and yet apparently more colourful than the others. It looked almost
bi-coloured, with head, neck, breast and mantle pale but with the rest of the
body dark except for a small area of white on the wing.
The head, neck, breast and mantle were of uniform
colour, pale, buffish, similar to the normal male breast colouration. All
other parts of the body were normally coloured. Although we have visited
this locality on many occasions since our observation, we have not seen it
again."
In view of the unusually coloured Shelduck that was
observed photographed at Werribee recently this note may be of
interest.
Regards
Greg Clancy
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