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21 June 2022 First report of diluted plumage in Gray-headed Swamphen (Porphyrio poliocephalus) and a review of color aberrations in swamphens
Subhendu Mallik, Shakti P. Nanda, Ashutosh Mallik
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Abstract

Plumage color aberrations in wild birds are infrequently reported and often misinterpreted. We report a color aberration in the Gray-headed Swamphen (Porphyrio poliocephalus), a large colorful rail with a red bill and a frontal shield. Our report documents the observation of a diluted plumage in an adult Gray-headed Swamphen for the first time. The bird displayed an almost all-white plumage with normal-colored eyes that we assigned to a dilution process. We also summarize plumage color aberrations reported in 3 additional species of the genus Porphyrio.

Las aberraciones de color en el plumaje en las aves silvestres se informan con poca frecuencia y, a menudo, se malinterpretan. Reportamos una aberración de color en el calamón Porphyrio poliocephalus, un rascón grande y colorido con pico rojo y escudo frontal. Nuestro informe documenta la observación de un plumaje diluido en un calamón adulto por primera vez. Esta ave mostraba un plumaje casi completamente blanco con ojos de color normal, que determinamos como un proceso de dilución. También hacemos una reseña de aberraciones de color del plumaje aberrante reportadas en 3 especies adicionales del género Porphyrio.

Palabras clave: albinismo, aves acuáticas, Chilika, dilución, encanecimiento progresivo, humedales, Mangalajodi.

Subhendu Mallik, Shakti P. Nanda, and Ashutosh Mallik "First report of diluted plumage in Gray-headed Swamphen (Porphyrio poliocephalus) and a review of color aberrations in swamphens," The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 134(2), 321-327, (21 June 2022). https://doi.org/10.1676/20-00071
Received: 9 June 2020; Accepted: 7 March 2022; Published: 21 June 2022
KEYWORDS
Albinism
Chilika
dilution
Mangalajodi
progressive graying
water bird
wetland
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