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A Great Tit Parus major without yellow pigment in its plumage

Svensson, Sören LU and Kadin, Germund (2018) In Ornis Svecica 28(2-4). p.77-80
Abstract
A Great Tit Parus major without any yellow pigment in the plumage was ringed in southern Swedish Lapland in 2006. Such pale birds are known to appear with a low frequency throughout the species’ range. Superficially they look like the eastern (sub)species Parus (major) minor. The focal bird was a yearling with a wing length well above that of minor so there is no reason to suspect eastern origin. The yellow pigment, a carotenoid, is obtained through food, particularly green larvae. Such larvae were available in reasonably high numbers in 2006. The focal bird was an exception as no other pale Great Tit has been recorded during more than fifty years of fieldwork in the area. Yellow at the flange of the gape indicates that the bird had not... (More)
A Great Tit Parus major without any yellow pigment in the plumage was ringed in southern Swedish Lapland in 2006. Such pale birds are known to appear with a low frequency throughout the species’ range. Superficially they look like the eastern (sub)species Parus (major) minor. The focal bird was a yearling with a wing length well above that of minor so there is no reason to suspect eastern origin. The yellow pigment, a carotenoid, is obtained through food, particularly green larvae. Such larvae were available in reasonably high numbers in 2006. The focal bird was an exception as no other pale Great Tit has been recorded during more than fifty years of fieldwork in the area. Yellow at the flange of the gape indicates that the bird had not completely lost its capacity to take up pig-ments, only the plumage was affected. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Ornis Svecica
volume
28
issue
2-4
pages
77 - 80
publisher
Sveriges Ornitologiska Förening
external identifiers
  • scopus:85068139629
ISSN
1102-6812
DOI
10.34080/os.v28.19534
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
0bda9bdd-125f-4123-9fad-6d5c89d97983
date added to LUP
2019-05-16 13:11:37
date last changed
2022-04-18 05:09:59
@article{0bda9bdd-125f-4123-9fad-6d5c89d97983,
  abstract     = {{A Great Tit Parus major without any yellow pigment in the plumage was ringed in southern Swedish Lapland in 2006. Such pale birds are known to appear with a low frequency throughout the species’ range. Superficially they look like the eastern (sub)species Parus (major) minor. The focal bird was a yearling with a wing length well above that of minor so there is no reason to suspect eastern origin. The yellow pigment, a carotenoid, is obtained through food, particularly green larvae. Such larvae were available in reasonably high numbers in 2006. The focal bird was an exception as no other pale Great Tit has been recorded during more than fifty years of fieldwork in the area. Yellow at the flange of the gape indicates that the bird had not completely lost its capacity to take up pig-ments, only the plumage was affected.}},
  author       = {{Svensson, Sören and Kadin, Germund}},
  issn         = {{1102-6812}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2-4}},
  pages        = {{77--80}},
  publisher    = {{Sveriges Ornitologiska Förening}},
  series       = {{Ornis Svecica}},
  title        = {{A Great Tit Parus major without yellow pigment in its plumage}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.34080/os.v28.19534}},
  doi          = {{10.34080/os.v28.19534}},
  volume       = {{28}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}