Pink & Black Magpies (1 Viewer)

[EmilyFagan]

I've seen a few mentions of these guys in this forum - in Ireland and England back in 2006 and 2008, but the threads are too old to reply to.

We are in Dillon, Montana, and we saw a pair of pink & black magpies yesterday. The pink is where the white usually is. They were with a flock of regular magpies and acted no differently. The color was unmistakably pink - bright pink. Very beautiful birds.

I wonder if they are a mutation (or whatever term biologists use) like albinos and lutinos in Australian budgies and cockatiels?

 

[John Knifton]

These sound fabulous birds. Any chance of a photograph ?

 

[crabplover]

These sound fabulous birds. Any chance of a photograph ?

This one was posted on the Rainham RSPB Blog on the 7/7/12

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/pl...rainhammarshes-blog/default.aspx?PageIndex=18



Is it the same colour?




Andy.

 

[fugl]

We are in Dillon, Montana, and we saw a pair of pink & black magpies yesterday. The pink is where the white usually is. They were with a flock of regular magpies and acted no differently. The color was unmistakably pink - bright pink. Very beautiful birds.

I wonder if they are a mutation (or whatever term biologists use) like albinos and lutinos in Australian budgies and cockatiels?

Diet-related, I would think. Are there salmon hatcheries nearby?(http://www.flickr.com/photos/fugl/6995503409/in/set-72157627355335229).

 

[MJB]

Diet-related, I would think. Are there salmon hatcheries nearby?(http://www.flickr.com/photos/fugl/6995503409/in/set-72157627355335229).

Good call, Fugl! One other possibility is that the bird washed itself in a puddle containing soil-derived iron oxides. We saw a few species in the Kimberleys in Australia that were striking because of the red-pink wash absorbed by the feathers, visible only on the paler feathers...
MJB