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Albino GBH???

Discussion

10 replies
Posted by Bill Maile on July 26, 2009 at 8:09 PM
Albino GBH???
These are some horrible pics, as I was not prepared, but is this an albino GBH??? I've been told so elsewhere, appreciate any IDs, comments, I know it's not good.
Posted by Jim DeWitt on July 26, 2009 at 11:25 PM
It's hard to be sure from the photo, but it appears the top of the head and the eye are dark; that makes it leucistic, paler than normal but not an albino, which is the complete absence of pigment.
Posted by Bill Maile on July 27, 2009 at 11:13 AM
Thanks Jim, I apologize for the photos--not sure if it's me or my camera, but been missing a lot of good shots lately (probably me!). That's what it was identified as on another website as well. Here is a back view, again, quality sucks. I'm going to find this bird again!! :wink:
Posted by Bryan Maltais on July 29, 2009 at 10:35 PM
By definition, albino is the total lack of pigment. I don't see how this guy could be anything close to albino.
Posted by Bill Maile on July 30, 2009 at 4:45 AM
as was corrected above, it is leucistic Bryan, and not albino. I simply asked the question.

Here are the two above shots that were posted as an example of a leucistic bird:

http://www.birdzilla.com/birdnews/leucistic-birds.html
Posted by Wayne Willison on July 31, 2009 at 10:19 AM
Bill, I believe what you've got here is a White Morph of the Great Blue Heron. I've shot a couple of them in the Everglades.
Posted by Bill Maile on July 31, 2009 at 10:32 AM
hmmm, and all the way up here too. I went back the day after, and with the trees covering the creek and the bright sun, I couldn't really see anything under the shade cover. But I snapped a couple shots off anyway. When I got home, sure enough, there he/she was hiding in the shadows on my screen. Hopefully I'll get a good image sometime soon!
Posted by Jim DeWitt on August 5, 2009 at 6:10 PM
I'd usually defer to those folks who get to see Great Blue Herons more often than I do, but doesn't the white morph have a white crown? This guy shows a dark grey crown. Which is why I thought it was a leucistic bird... :confused:
Posted by Bill Maile on August 6, 2009 at 8:20 AM
I'm a bit confused now too, like I had said earlier, Birdzilla posted it as leucistic... but I wouldn't know myself.
Posted by Wayne Willison on September 25, 2009 at 12:44 PM
I'd usually defer to those folks who get to see Great Blue Herons more often than I do, but doesn't the white morph have a white crown? This guy shows a dark grey crown. Which is why I thought it was a leucistic bird...

I believe you're right, Jim. Here's a link to some interesting reading on the subject
http://sibleyguides.blogspot.com/2007/11/great-white-heron-not-just-color-morph.html
Posted by Bill Maile on September 25, 2009 at 3:12 PM
Wow, that is a lot of info I never thought of!!! Thanks folks.