What Have I seen???

[dmclean2]

Hi All,
I was down near Brighton, at Keymer, just finished an inspection on an excavator, got in the van and drove off up a dirt track between two feilds and what I thought was a crow lifted up off the ground, it was black with a thick base to the beak and as large as a crow, but white on all the greater coverts on the top of each wing, from the base to the tip. Iv'e checked my books, and ruled out Raven, Hoodie, and Carrion,and I'm still looking,
anyone got a clue?
Duncan.

[aeshna5]

Crows not infrequently show partial albinism, where normal pigment- melanin- is lacking. Maybe this was such a bird ?

[wildlifesnapper]

Hi

sounds like it. I once saw one that was like a checker board !

neil

[Rats]

I've seen quite a few crows with white parts on their wings etc. It's quite strange, but quite common.

[dmclean2]

You may be right about the albino bit, had a patially white Blackbird in the garden last year. this bird's wing feathers were so uniform though, and these sightings are always when you don't have the camera, never mind, thanks for your input though.
Duncan

[Hobjob]

Pedant mode on/

Albinos can produce no melanin pigment whatever as it is a genetic
abscence of pigment producing enzymes. They have red eyes.

Such birds as above should correctly be called leucistic.
Have a look at Wikipedia
Leucism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

pedant mode off/

[Pigeon feather]

Quite a few carrion crows show up white in their flight feathers, so it was most likey that you saw a carrion crow but I thought this was due to a vitamin deficiency in their diet as the feather was growing? that's what I've been told anyway!

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by Hobjob

Pedant mode on/

Albinos can produce no melanin pigment whatever as it is a genetic
abscence of pigment producing enzymes. They have red eyes.

Such birds as above should correctly be called leucistic.
Have a look at Wikipedia
Leucism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

pedant mode off/

What you say about albinos is true, but such birds above are known as partial albinos as some of the feathers lack pigment. Leucistic birds are not the same- these have less pigment + such birds tend to be pale, almost washed out versions of the normal plumage.