Flaviemys purvisi
Very Well-Known Member
ABC North and West
By Khama Reid
10 Jun 2018
PHOTO: The magpie, believed to have leucism, near Quorn, SA. (ABC North and West: Khama Reid)
First, there was the exciting sighting of a black kookaburra in a West Australian backyard. Now bird enthusiasts in South Australia are talking about a rare white magpie that has been spotted in the Flinders Ranges.
The bird is mainly white and a very light brown where it would normally be black. It has been spotted frequently near a creek about six kilometres north of the town of Quorn.
Quorn resident and bird enthusiast John Paynter said the magpie does not let people get too close.
"We drove around and all of a sudden it was sitting right in the middle of the road, picking a bit of carrion off the road," Mr Paynter said.
"But once he worked out we were trying to photograph it, he took off pretty quickly."
Mr Paynter keeps birds and said the white magpie would be at a higher risk of predation than other magpies in the area.
"Obviously a white magpie is a lot easier to see than a coloured one, a dual-coloured one anyway.
"I'm hopeful that it survives, but the chances of that are probably a bit slim with the colour … these things don't tend to last in the wild but hopefully it will be okay and hang out for a while."
Rare genetic mutation
Birds SA secretary Kate Buckley showed a photo of the bird to other members and they said that while rare, the bird was not an albino.
"There doesn't seem to be the pinky red eye, and also, wild albinos do not survive long, because they have very poor eyesight and they are very sensitive to light," Ms Buckley said.
"The fact that this bird seems to have grown to a reasonable size suggests that it is not an albino, but has a mutation, leucism."
PHOTO: All-white birds are more common than all-black birds, such as this black kookaburra in Manjimup, WA. (Supplied: Mike)
According to the British Trust for Ornithology, albinism and leucism result in white feathers, but albinos have pink eyes and leucistic birds have a dark iris.
Ms Buckley said leucism was a rare condition.
"You don't see it a lot. We're not quite sure why it happens. I have seen it with other species but probably only three in my lifetime.
"Should snow fall in the Flinders, it would be well camouflaged," she joked.
Ms Buckley said birds with mutations were often at risk of being killed by their peers.
"Magpies are social birds, they live in a social group and it would seem they accept this particular bird, the fact that it has lived to [be] this size."
She said while it might be more visible to predators such as foxes and cats, she was confident the magpie would be able to look after itself.
"They have a very powerful beak. Magpies are very alert. They can see or hear any kind of predator coming from a fair distance."
