For this species the entry in HANZAB says:
<< Aberrant plumages. Partial albino
adult from Kerang, Vic., had white band c.3cm wide between breast and belly,
and broad white tips to tertials; juvenile from Kerang had white
trailing-edge to secondaries, 5mm wide. Unsexed adult from L. Eyre, SA, had
irregular light-brown ... patches on hindneck, mantle and right wing.
>>
On those few records, the Canberra bird may be an example
of relatively extreme (although partial) albinism, and so write-up-able.
It looks to be smaller than some other coots, so may be a female. On the
south side of LBG East Basin, it tends to wander off by itself (more, I would
think, than other coots) but readily joins in the frenzied activity at the
bread handouts.
For this widespread species, there are a number of
instances of albinism reported in other countries, but it is quite a task to winkle
out the details of these, even where they are given.
The following shows the extent of the white, black and
grey for our bird (L & R as shown).
-----Original Message-----
I saw what was probably the same bird about a week ago,
on Burley
Griffin, near the outlet of the creek that drains Telopea
Park. I did
not have my glasses, let alone my binoculars, but I
looked for, and
thought I saw, a white shield. It did not dive during the
five minutes
or so that I watched it but appeared to be picking
something off the
surface of the water.
Con
*******************************************************************************************************
This is the email announcement and discussion list of the
Canberra Ornithologists Group.
List-Post:
<>
List-Help:
<>
List-Unsubscribe: <>
List-Subscribe:
<>
List archive:
<http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/archives/html/canberrabirds>
List manager: David McDonald, email
<>
