THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Anoop Palode, a city-based bird watcher and photographer with experience of 15 years, is always on the lookout for birds. While visiting his wife’s home in Attingal last week, he spotted a rare bird near the wetlands. It was a white coloured Indian Spot-Billed duck, rarely spotted in the country.
The Indian spot-billed duck is a large non-migratory breed that lives in freshwater wetlands across the Indian subcontinent. Usually, the ducks in this species are grey with a paler head and neck and a black beak with bright yellow tips. They have white wings with black and sparkling green flight feathers. But according to Anoop, the duck he spotted was white with a few brown flight feathers and seemed different from its flock.
Elated about having found a new bird, Anoop says he is wired to listen and observe birds at all times. “I knew the wetlands are a good spot for bird spotting. That is why I chose to go there. But I was quite surprised to spot the bird,” he says.
Anoop also explains the reason behind the change in the bird’s feather colour. “The condition is known as Leucism. It is a genetic mutation that prevents pigments, particularly melanin, from getting properly deposited on a bird’s feathers. Thus, they look white and different from their species. This has been observed in crows too.
Occasionally, it can be due to progressive greying, similar to what happens in humans. The duck, however, seemed friendly with its flock of nearly 50 Indian spot-billed ducks,” he said. He informed his team of bird watchers at Shola Nature Society. Suraj Choodal, Kiran RJ, Abin Raj P and Sujith Surendran followed up on Anoop’s findings, observing the bird over the next two days and taking pictures. An ornithologist from Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology (SACO) in Tamil Nadu confirmed the colour change on the bird.