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An unusual chickadee in Algonquin Park
EMC lifestyle - Recently I spent two glorious days in Algonquin Park helping former Chief Park Naturalist Dan Strickland find Gray Jay nests. Dan has studied these northern birds for more than 40 years. Gray Jays live on stored food all winter, so they nest early to store enough for that season. We found a few females already sitting on eggs and I found an unfinished nest in a spindly Black Spruce. One never goes to Algonquin without encountering northern animals. During my visit I also met two Eastern Wolves, a Pine Marten, an Otter, a Beaver, a Great Gray Owl, a Blackbacked Woodpecker, and several Boreal Chickadees. I also encountered an unusual chickadee. However, it was not unusual because of what kind of chickadee it was. There are only two species in eastern Canada: the Boreal Chickadee whose Algonquin population constitutes the most southern in
MICHAEL RUNTZ
This chickadee’s odd appearance is due to a genetic mutation called leucism. True albino birds seldom live long for their eyesight is so poor that they cannot forage or avoid predators adequately. If you see a white robin or hummingbird year after year, odds are high it is due to leucism, not albinism. Aberrant plumages are not only caused by genetic mutations; sometimes, as in Flamingos, diet can be involved. Regardless of how they arise, strange appearances certainly give us something to puzzle over. And in some cases, even argue over! The Macnamara Field Naturalists’ Club (www.mfnc.ca) meets the first Tuesday of each month. The Nature Number is 613-387-2503; email is mruntz@start.ca.
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Canada (the cooler climate due to the parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s elevation favours the development of their northern habitats), and the Black-capped Chickadee, which nests throughout Ontario and is far more numerous than its relative. The chickadee I met was a Black-capped and it was odd because of its colouration. It had a pied appearance, with white on the head where black should have been. Its eyes were black but its legs, normally black, were pink. This unusual fellow has been seen for two years, with some calling it partially albinistic, while others say it is partially leucistic. I wondered if it could be both. However, after discussions with friends and with Hein von Grouw, the curator of birds at British Museum of Natural History and an authority on aberrant colouration, I now know that this chickadee could not be partially albinistic. The reason - there is no such thing! Colour in the bodies and feathers of birds comes from pigments. There are several categories, melanin being a prominent one. Two types of melanin create blacks, greys, and browns. Albino animals cannot produce either melanin, which is why they are white and bear pink eyes and legs (pink due to blood). If feathers contain other types of pigments (i.e. carotenoids), some patches of bright colours can be present. But paleness can arise even if a bird can manufacture melanins. If it cannot move those pigments into its feathers, or if it completely lacks one of the two types of melanin, a bird will be pale, even white. This is called leucism. However, very few leucistic birds are entirely white, and this little chickadee perfectly fits the bill of being partially leucistic.
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West Carleton Review EMC - Thursday, March 21, 2013 11