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21-02-2007, 05:09 PM
| | New Member | | Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 9
| | | mutant blue tit
Hi out there has anyone seen anything like this e feed the wild birds all year and have many cctv camera nest boxes around my large garden and yhie little blue tit has a VERY long beak neve seen anything it it's very healthy eating well so might use noe of my cctv nest boxes and I wonder if the young will have some traights fo the parents
have a look as the link <img src="http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/pjanes/BLUETITWITHEXTRALONGBEAK.jpg"> by the way any one need info fitting a cctv camera to your nest box do ask
peter J |
21-02-2007, 05:28 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northants
Posts: 4,745
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
Quote:
Originally Posted by cctvnestboxman  Hi out there has anyone seen anything like this e feed the wild birds all year and have many cctv camera nest boxes around my large garden and yhie little blue tit has a VERY long beak neve seen anything it it's very healthy eating well so might use noe of my cctv nest boxes and I wonder if the young will have some traights fo the parents
have a look as the link <img src="http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/pjanes/BLUETITWITHEXTRALONGBEAK.jpg"> by the way any one need info fitting a cctv camera to your nest box do ask
peter J | Can't open the link..  |
21-02-2007, 05:36 PM
|  | Wild Member | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Notts.
Posts: 110
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
That certainly is a bizarre looking bird, I've never seen a Blue Tit like it.
What I did have was a similarly mutated Starling a couple of years ago. 
The bird did have a mate, and remained for most of the summer, but after that I never saw it again. It was a keen visitor to the bird table, perhaps due to an inability to feed in any other way, so it always seemed strong and in good voice. However what I did begin to wonder about was whether the bird could preen properly, and surmise perhaps that's what led to its ultimate demise. Never did see any notable offspring that year.
Sad news is the theory goes that such mutations are caused by modern urban pollution, so doubtless more of them turn up these days. I suppose they do provide interest though. |
21-02-2007, 06:28 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Kent
Posts: 1,559
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
I couldn't open the link either |
21-02-2007, 06:42 PM
|  | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Dorchester, Dorset
Posts: 513
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kymba I couldn't open the link either | I copied and pasted the link into address bar.
It worked. http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...RALONGBEAK.jpg
can't get it display as a hyper link here, though.
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Best wishes, Neil
Who's Afear'd
Last edited by wyevilla; 21-02-2007 at 06:45 PM.
Reason: Oh, it does now!!
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21-02-2007, 06:45 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sheffield, FPRSY
Posts: 5,090
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
I think you should be careful of using the words 'mutant' and 'mutating'. These imply that the genes of the affected animal were altered (e.g. by radiation or chemicals) whereas it's quite possible that this is a manifestation of a usually recessive gene .... or not!  |
21-02-2007, 06:48 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sheffield, FPRSY
Posts: 5,090
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
Got it now.
I'm not even convinced that this is an extended bill. Couldn't it just be the bird holding a seed? I've sometimes been startled by coal tits (especially) which seem to have enormous black beaks but, in fact, are just carrying sunflower seeds end on ....
In the case of the starling picture, I'm more convinced that that is a longer than average bill .... Quote:
Originally Posted by wyevilla | |
21-02-2007, 07:04 PM
| | Wild Member | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Notts.
Posts: 110
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul mabbott Got it now.
I'm not even convinced that this is an extended bill. Couldn't it just be the bird holding a seed? | That's what I thought, then I assumed there must have been more than the one sighting. |
21-02-2007, 07:57 PM
| | New Member | | Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 9
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
Hi Paul the blue tit has been back a few times now and I have had a good look and the beak is extended both top and bottom parts of the beak are the same length most others I have seen seems to have a normal lower part and it seem most have extended top part of the beak
pj |
21-02-2007, 08:22 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sheffield, FPRSY
Posts: 5,090
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
In that case, quite fascinating. This is something I've never seen before and I assume that the many other birders on this group would have commented if it were common.
Especially strange that you have more than one ....
So, maybe need to reconsider the mutation hypothesis!  Whereabouts are you? Near Sellafield or some other 'dubious' place?
Cheers, Paul Quote:
Originally Posted by cctvnestboxman Hi Paul the blue tit has been back a few times now and I have had a good look and the beak is extended both top and bottom parts of the beak are the same length most others I have seen seems to have a normal lower part and it seem most have extended top part of the beak
pj | |
22-02-2007, 09:00 AM
| | New Member | | Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 9
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
Hi Paul no I live on the Ashdown forest near Crowborough East Sussex loads of visiting wildlife so feel lucky to live in this area  |
22-02-2007, 11:41 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,389
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
I seem to recall something similar reported in British Birds a few years ago.
I'd be much more inclined to suspect a physical cause than mutation.
henrya
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22-02-2007, 11:51 AM
|  | Wild Member | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: New Quay, Ceredigion, W.Wales.
Posts: 164
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
Very strange indeed, i've never seen anything like it. |
22-02-2007, 03:56 PM
|  | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mayford, Surrey
Posts: 312
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
A friend has seen a bluetit with a very strange beak, and is happy for me to post a link to the video clip that he made. http://the2wrennies.co.uk/archive/bl...bill_large.wmv |
22-02-2007, 04:07 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northants
Posts: 4,745
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
It looks like the beak has kept on growing when it should have stopped. Like a gene problem. 
Don't Parrots have to have their beaks trimmed at the vets if they grow too long ?? |
22-02-2007, 04:11 PM
|  | Dame Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: North Kent
Posts: 6,525
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elizabeth B | My goodness! That's incredible. It seems to manage very well with that long beak. I suppose for some reason it's just not wearing away. If it was a domestic bird like a budgie, we would have taken it to the vet to have it's beak clipped.
It almost looks like a different species or subspecies. Amazing. Thank your friend for allowing us to see the clip.
jules
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22-02-2007, 04:23 PM
| | New Member | | Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 9
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
my that is a long top beak great to see it's surviving though what next ???? |
22-02-2007, 04:27 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Suffolk
Posts: 2,839
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
It looks like a humming bird gene has got into the bird, poor little thing |
22-02-2007, 05:05 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: East Kent
Posts: 1,498
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
I have noticed that of all the birds I'm now watching at close range, the bluetit has the widest range of differences, mainly in colouration, some being pastel shades, others nearly indigo. Also their size seems to have a wider range than other birds I'm watching.
Maybe there is a viral cause to the beak malformation, that is changing the 'genetic knowledge' that tells the cells at the end of the beak what their function is. I believe I have heard of something like that before, but can't remember what species it affected.
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22-02-2007, 05:10 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Lincolnshire/Cambs/Norfolk border right on The Wash
Posts: 2,196
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
Amazing that it is still managing to feed well too.
jaki
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23-02-2007, 06:52 PM
| | New Member | | Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 9
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
and now it's been visiting one of the nest boxes,can't wait to see the future of this little surviver |
23-02-2007, 07:53 PM
| | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 512
| | | Re: mutant blue tit
This over growth of beak is something that happens in domestic birds and poultry and from the information that I have read it is down to bad breeding. Perhaps there has been some interbreeding with this particular population of birds. I used to have some blue dutch bantams and they had the same problem and needed regular beak trims; this particular type of dutch bantam is very inbred.
Kerry | | |
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