Reader Liz Hutchison sent us an email requesting help regarding an unusually coloured member of the avian species.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Liz wrote:
“A question for the ornithologists out there. We have a brown corella that comes to visit us. At first, I thought maybe he'd had a dust bath, but we've seen him several times over the past few weeks now. The colour is not fading. Mutation? Or diet related?”
I showed the photos to wildlife cinematographer and unofficial wildlife expert, Dr Jim Frazier OAM and asked if he had any ideas as to what could have caused this anomaly.
Jim could not be 100 per cent certain, but puts it down to most likely being a ‘genetic split’. Without going into details about parrot genetics, which I duly researched and which resulted in much confusion and glazed eyes because of talk of x and y chromosomes, and recessive and split genes, the simplest way to describe it in layman’s terms is genetic mutation.
Further googling revealed a flock of very unusual blue corellas sighted a number of times around a decade ago on the Central Coast. In this flock was one lone, brown corella.
It seems no answer was ever found as to why that flock was blue, though various theories were put forth at the time, including genetic mutation, bathing in dye, and diet. As regards the brown corella, though, consensus was, in it’s case, it was probably genetic mutation.
Corellas’ feathers can be stained by dirt, though, and a search of google images throws up some very grubby corellas.
If anyone has an answer to the Riddle of the Coloured Corella, email julia.driscoll@fairfaxmedia.com.au.