Leuicistic Robin on London’s Hampstead Heath
A rare leucistic robin has attracted visitors to London's Hampstead
Heath. The almost all-white bird has a patch of red and some brown too
but is mostly snowy white.
Tim Webb of the RSPB in London said: "Robins are quite possibly our
most loved native birds. They are usually quite tame and this one has
the added `ahh' factor of being almost all white."
The robin was sighted by regular visitors to the Heath alongside the
Tennis Courts on Parliament Hill. It regularly visits the cherry trees
near William Ellis School.
"If you happen to be on the Heath and spot it, savour the moment."
Said Tim. "You'd have to be a very lucky person to ever see another
live white robin in the wild."
Leucism (or Leukism)
Leucism is a very unusual condition whereby the pigmentation cells in
an animal or bird fail to develop properly. This can result in unusual
white patches appearing on the animal, or, more rarely, completely
white creatures.
Albinism is a different condition. The easiest way to tell the
difference between the two is that in albinism the eyes are usually
pink or red, and albinism affects the entire animal, not just patches.
This occassionaly causes very excited biologists to think they have
discovered a new species, when in fact leucism is the cause of the
unusual markings they have seen.
Wildlife Extra: January 2009
