Amazing Woodpecker from Bulgaria (1 Viewer)

[Pavel]

Yesterday Peter Petrov took this amazing photograph of a Middle Spotted Woodpecker in the Western part of the Balkan Mountain Range of Bulgaria. Any comments would be welcomed.

 

[Andy Hurley]

I'll state the obvious, the brown back. Its an obvious MSW in every other aspect, but that brown back is something else!

 

[Pavel]

Yes Andy, I totally agree with you. Thanks!

 

[Nutcracker]

Leucistic, I guess?

 

[AllanM]

Brownistic? It's a great looking bird.

 

[Nutcracker]

Brownistic?

Methinks that would be Fuscochroistic

 

[P.Sunesen]

I've seen it on Great Spotted Woodpecker as well. Seem to occur regularly, if uncommonly, and I once saw a Black Woodpecker with a most striking bronze look to the dorsal side. Something gone awry with the melanin in those black feathers I guess......

Peter

 

[Tiraya]

It would appear to be a lack of melanin...you sometimes see young crows that are decidedly brownish which turn black with age. It seems a good quantity of "black" coloured birds are just brown with a lot of melanin darkening them. When some melanin is missing, this brown is left behind.

In this case it would be called leucism yes. It could also be called schizochromism since only one pigment type is absent.

 

[Pyrrhosoma]

This looks like a form of Erythrism, although something I'm more familiar with in mammals.

 

[Strandman]

I recall a spectacularly barred Middle Spot from the Netherlands got an airing on here a few years ago- I kept the link and someone may be able to find the thread on BF.
http://forum.waarneming.nl/smf/index.php/topic,100683.0.html

EDIT- here's the old BF thread (or a search that leads to it) http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=165837&highlight=middle+barring

 

[Tiraya]

This looks like a form of Erythrism, although something I'm more familiar with in mammals.

There may be traces but the effect would be impossible without a reduction in melanin...red on black would just look black. I'm sure that it is just what is left when melanin is removed rather than an addition of brown colour/red pigment.

 

[P.Sunesen]

There may be traces but the effect would be impossible without a reduction in melanin...red on black would just look black. I'm sure that it is just what is left when melanin is removed rather than an addition of brown colour/red pigment.

Agree, interesting that this lack of melanin rather seems to be restricted to the feather tracts on back/ mantle and at times remiges, than to other parts of the bird (head, tail etc) in Great Spotted Woodpecker (and presumably in M.S.W.)

I have yet to see a photo of an totally leucistic GSW though that must surely happen also.........?

 

[Pyrrhosoma]

There may be traces but the effect would be impossible without a reduction in melanin...red on black would just look black. I'm sure that it is just what is left when melanin is removed rather than an addition of brown colour/red pigment.

This is what Erythrism essentially is (and my point). There is either a reduction (but not complete absence) in melanin leading to the orange/brown appearance on the back. Or an excessive production of Pheomelanin resulting in red being dominant over black. Not quite as black and white as you imply (excuse the pun).

 

[rosbifs]

Little fur 'gillet' for winter?

Interesting bird....

 

[Tiraya]

This is what Erythrism essentially is (and my point). There is either a reduction (but not complete absence) in melanin leading to the orange/brown appearance on the back. Or an excessive production of Pheomelanin resulting in red being dominant over black. Not quite as black and white as you imply (excuse the pun).

Ah...I assumed erythrism was only described as extra reddish pigmentation, rather than any unusual reddish colour in general.