FISKEMÅKE

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen July 22, 2020

What Is Leucism?

Leucism is a term used to describe a wide variety of conditions which result in the partial loss of pigmentation in an animal—which causes white, pale, or patchy coloration of the skin, hair, feathers, scales or cuticles, but not the eyes.

Leucism, or leukism, is an abnormal plumage condition caused by a genetic mutation that prevents pigment, particularly melanin, from being properly deposited on a bird’s feathers. As a result, the birds do not have the normal, classic plumage colors listed in field guides or seen in most photos. Instead, the plumage may have several color changes, including:

Bold white patches where the bird should not have any
Paler overall plumage that looks faint, diluted, or bleached
Overall white plumage with little or no color visible

The degree of leucism, including the brightness of the white and the extent of pigment loss, will vary depending on the bird’s genetic makeup. Birds that show only white patches or sections of leucistic feathers, often in symmetrical patterns, are often called pied or piebald birds, while birds with fully white plumage are referred to as leucistic birds.

Here are some pictures of a leucistic common gull in north of Norway:

Please visit my other collection of seagulls:

LARUS CANUS / COMMON GULL / FISKEMÅKE

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen April 19, 2020

The common gull (Larus canus) or sea mew is a medium-sized gull that breeds in the Palearctic, northern Europe, and northwestern North America. Many common gulls migrate further south in winter. Adult common gulls are 40–46 cm long, the body is grey above and white below. The legs are greenish-yellow. They have black wingtips with large white "mirrors"

Text : Wikipedia

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LARUS MARINUS / GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL / SVARTBAK

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen April 18, 2020

The great black-backed gull (Larus marinus), mistakenly called greater black-backed gull by some, is the largest member of the gull family. It breeds on the European and North American coasts and islands of the North Atlantic and is fairly sedentary, though some move farther south or inland to large lakes or reservoirs. The adult great black-backed gull has a white head, neck and underparts, dark grey wings and back, pink legs and yellow bill. (text : Wikipedia)