Abstract

Records of the progressive loss of melanin in birds, resulting in an increasing number of white feathers over time, have been known since the mid-nineteenth century. The opposite situation – birds starting with aberrant white plumage and gaining melanin pigment later in life – has not been recorded so far. In this paper, a case is presented in which a white Western Jackdaw Coloeus monedulabecame almost fully pigmented over a period of five years. In addition, it is also shown that this aberration is not that uncommon at all and is also recorded in other species.