Mottled Crows?

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  • #611327

    wakeflood
    Participant

    Not sure if anyone else has noticed this? I live down by the Fauntleroy ferry and over the last year or so, I’ve noticed at least a handful of grey-white mottled crows about.

    There’s one that’s almost half grey and several others with spots on the edges of their wings.

    Not sure if this mutation is common or maybe just local to a family down in these parts? Which leads me to wonder whether these mottled ones are treated differently by the others? Are crows discriminatory in nature? ;-)

    #808339

    miws
    Participant

    For a second there, I thought this was going to be a thread about the merging of a couple highly popular Rock Bands…

    ;-)

    Mike

    #808340

    amalia
    Participant

    It sounds like leucism – a genetic mutation like partial albinism, causing patches of white to greatly varying degrees. I don’t think animals suffer discrimination from it, although it can make the more visible to predators.

    #808341

    wakeflood
    Participant

    How many predators do crows have these days? It would seem like they have the world on a string! :-)

    Still curious if others around WS have seen any or maybe we have the only ones on the peninsula?

    #808342

    amalia
    Participant

    I saw one in Gatewood this spring, and another elsewhere in Seattle (I forget – possible also in West Seattle). I remember because the leucism was perfectly symmetrical.

    .

    It can make other species more susceptible to predators. Crows are pretty wily.

    #808343

    miws
    Participant

    I do seem to remember some talk here on WSB, maybe Forums, Main Page, or both, of albino crow(s) sometime back, like maybe a few years.

    Mike

    #808344

    wakeflood
    Participant

    Well, there ya’ go. Thanks, Mike, I musta’ missed that!

    #808345

    miws
    Participant
    #808346

    WSB
    Keymaster
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