Hi everyone,
I'm excited to share my photograph of a leucistic purple swamphen with you.
This guy is one of three that I noticed.
They have a beautiful parkland home at a lakeside location in South East, Queensland.
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Wow Dianne, that is unusual, and to have 3 in the same area even more so. Nice photo and thanks for sharing.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Thanks dwatsonbb, This photo shows one of the other three with their partner, a purple swamphen. Maybe we'll have even more leucistic chicks!
Thought I'd add a couple more of the other hens at the same time... I have to resize photos so it's a bit hard to get all done at once, but at least these will give you a good look at the beautiful birds.
Photographs ©Di Collins Kirley 2015
Di - Moreton Bay Coastal, Qld
Interesting find! Thanks for sharing
Ryu
Canberra
Aiming for DSLR-quality shots with a bridge camera
Thanks for your compliment HelloBirdy.
I'm sure many people have seen these birds and just not realized they are special... or not cared!
When I first saw them in 2014, I contacted Birds Australia for help with identification and hence their leucistic condition came to light. It was the first time I had ever heard of it.
Just make me think how many more leucistic beauties of our bird kingdom are out there and waiting to be photographed... ?
Di - Moreton Bay Coastal, Qld
Im bit late coming to this post ... very interesting sighting. Thanks for showing the pics.
Thanks, WhistlingDuck.
One more pic ...
Di - Moreton Bay Coastal, Qld
Great photos, thanks for sharing.
I would love to see these in the flesh so to speak. I am in SE QLD, where abouts were they. I would love to go and see them!
Thanks Devster,
No problems, I've gave the details to another lovely member who was thrilled when he checked them out, last weekend.
Private message me a contact phone number and I'll call you with their location, Devster.
Regards, Di.
Di - Moreton Bay Coastal, Qld
I went last week to look at these swamphens, typical swamphen behaviour, I saw 2 leucistic birds and was then distracted by Wandering Whistling-Duck and Little Egret
Peter
I wonder if this colour form will persist in the population.
Lorde Howe Island used to have pure white swamphens, which were possibly white mutations of the familiar Purple Swamphen, or a closely related species.
A beaut photo, pacman! I'm so pleased you went to see the swamphen but I agree with the distactions because it's a bustling little area with plenty of birdlife, reptiles and well, who knows what else...
Here are two Pacific Black ducks from the same place.
Di - Moreton Bay Coastal, Qld
Hi zosterops,
I certainly hope so. There is more than two, I'm confident there's three. I live close by so I check in on them when I can. I'll Google the Lorde Howe Island swamphens and check it out, thanks for that info.
Di - Moreton Bay Coastal, Qld
Apparently, the white Lorde Howe birds have been extinct since perhaps as early as 1788 as they were both conspicuous and tame due to evolving on an island without predators and as such 'were easily killed with sticks' by early explorers (Flannery, 2001).
There are also white-headed forms in parts of Asia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Porphyrio_porphyrio_poliocephalus_-_Bueng_Boraphet.jpg
I can only hope these beautiful leucistic swamphens have their safe home for many more years and generations to come...
Di - Moreton Bay Coastal, Qld