Black Kookaburras

[Canary]

Interesting article in todays Daily Telegraph.

From Daily Telegraph

[Myzomela]

I doubt that the bird pictured is really melanistic.
If you look closely at the feathering it appears damaged, giving the bird a "dirty" appearance.I suspect that the bird is merely coated in some oil-based material.
I have seen "melanistic" spotted turtle-doves and corellas (mentioned previously on AFF) with the same appearance.
The spotted turtle-doves were captured and after several weeks/months regained normal plumage- definitely not a mutation
They really need to catch these birds and examine the feathers closely, even microscopically, to tell for sure.

Intersting article though and thanks for posting, Canary.

[desertbirds]

How would the oil based coating miss all the feathers on the wings ? The whiteish ones that is ?

[Myzomela]

I believe it is because these are the reflective blue feathers on the wing, not white feathers, and the coating material does not stick as well to these because of their reflective, smoother structure.

Look at the quality of the tail feathers, in fact all the feathers. It unfortunately is not a great photo especially because of the backlighting but I can still appreciate the poor feather structure overall. Also you can still distinguish the facial markings from the background.
They remind me of the oiled waterbirds we often get in.

[desertbirds]

I hear what you`re saying Myzo but why then do the wing feathers appear white ?

[mickw]

Those wing feathers look like normal metallic blue Kooka wing feathers to me...........By the sounds of it they're into something sooty......maybe they're nesting in a cavity in a chimney or something........seen stranger things than that in the big smoke

[desertbirds]

Still seems odd to me and even the eye is a different colour unless cocks and hens have different colours.Maybe tint could enlighten us.

[VR1Ton]

Laughing have a darker eye than a Bluewing, & young birds even darker. Looks like some ones been to town with the ink well.

[Mortisha]

Looks medieval - cool!

Hope it isn't some toxic contamination.

Scroll down on this webpage and there photos of another lot of black kookaburras
http://www.lesandphyl.com/Birds___Animals.htm
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/comment/53905

[desertbirds]

Good find mortisha, doesnt look like ink or soot to me. I cant see how other feathers would be so affected yet wing feathers left alone. In your pics one of the young ones also has the ivory coloured lower beak. Maybe it is some type of toxin, but apparently it moults out ?
All the black birds seem to have the dark eye, possibly indicating they are young ones