18 April 2009

New species - Lime-billed Bullfinch!

Ringing always turns up something odd, and this Bullfinch is no exception. It was caught at Woolston Eyes, Cheshire, yesterday, and showed some very odd colouration indeed. One feather on the forehead, all of the nasal feathing and a couple of wing feathers were white, and the whole bird was generally quite pale in colour. Most striking though was the bill, which was mostly a pale lime colour instead of black! Very odd!


Thanks to Stephen Menzie for the info and photo of this oddity, and for comparison, a normal Bullfinch photo by Jill Pakenham is shown below.

1 comment:

  1. I heard rumors of the Lime Billed, but this is the first time I've seen an up-close photo. Thanks, you are so lucky.


    *I Donate To Cornell Ornithology*
    http://www.opticsplanet.net/cornell-lab-of-ornithology.html

    ReplyDelete