Leucistic moorhen on the Wirral - 3rd or 4th generation

Leucistic moorhen, seen in north-west England. Credit Soreron

December 2009. Another leucistic moorhen has been reported on the Wirral in north-west England. This is the 3rd or even 4th generation of leucistic moorhens from the same area (Click here for details of the other birds). There is obviously a strong leucistic train amongst the local population. Although this bird wasn't seen on the same pond as the others, it was only a mile or two away.

Wildlife Extra spoke to the ranger at the park where the first 3 generations all occurred, and he confirmed that they have had leucistic moorhens born at the park for at least the last 3 years. Surprisingly, they all seem to have made it through to adulthood, despite their lack of colouring.

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.

Click here to see our gallery of albino and leucistic animals and birds.

Our thanks to Soreron for the images.