Mutant Robin?

[Amoeba]

Mutant maybe? No photograph, you'll have to trust my memory!

Hang on, let me upload the image. I had done so but I just realised I need to put it in the Gallery first and I forgot how to do that.

There!



It looked healthy in every other way from what I could tell, fluttering between the branches, singing, etc. I first saw it passing by a branch, so I got to see close enough that the black was actually its feathers (and not, say, something mucky that got stuck to them).

[Dogghound]

What habitat was it in? did it have any other differences like an eye stripe or lack of red breast? Was this speckling only on the front? Its likely its just a partially melanic individual.

[Amoeba]

No other differences, it looked exactly like that, orange breast included, and the speckles were in that tear-drop shape, it had a typical robin song too. I was 100% sure it was a robin since they're so common. Just not 100% sure if it was a typical European robin.

I can't be entirely sure though if the speckling was only on the front. I do know however that that majority of the speckling was on the front, and the majority of the back was the usual solid robin brown. If there was any speckling on its back it wasn't obvious or visible.

The speckling was concentrated mostly around the edges of the breast-patch, as illustrated.

Habitat: Amongst mixed young to medium aged trees, mostly conifers, on the edge of an artificial pond big enough to house a swan family, several ducks and moorhens, etc. Seen next to the walkway that crosses the edge of the pond, hopping amongst the foliage. On a university campus.

I've never heard of melanic robins, going to look them up and see if I can find a picture.

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by Amoeba

No other differences, it looked exactly like that, orange breast included, and the speckles were in that tear-drop shape, it had a typical robin song too. I was 100% sure it was a robin since they're so common. Just not 100% sure if it was a typical European robin.

I can't be entirely sure though if the speckling was only on the front. I do know however that that majority of the speckling was on the front, and the majority of the back was the usual solid robin brown. If there was any speckling on its back it wasn't obvious or visible.

The speckling was concentrated mostly around the edges of the breast-patch, as illustrated.

Habitat: Amongst mixed young to medium aged trees, mostly conifers, on the edge of an artificial pond big enough to house a swan family, several ducks and moorhens, etc. Seen next to the walkway that crosses the edge of the pond, hopping amongst the foliage. On a university campus.

I've never heard of melanic robins, going to look them up and see if I can find a picture.

Anything can be melanic or show features. Sounds like this is what you have seen.