COLOR ABERRATIONS IN SEVEN BIRD SPECIES IN COSTA RICA

Although there are 935 species of birds in Costa Rica, scientific reports of pigmentation abnormalities in this group are limited. Nevertheless, several cases have been recently documented, including Leucism, Ino mutation, Progressive Graying, Dilution, and two unusual color aberrations in a toucan and a motmot. Here we describe seven cases of color aberrations observed over a period of five years in native birds of Costa Rica. An Eastern Wood-Pewee Contopus virens and a White-collared Manakin manacus candei were Brown. A Scintillant Hummingbird Selasphorus scintilla and a Talamanca Hummingbird, Eugenes spectabilis, also showed a Brown mutation, however, these two cases may be Ino. In addition, two cases of Progressive Graying were recorded in a Gray-necked Wood-rail Aramides cajaneus and a Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus. An indeterminate case was also observed in the Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura. Identifying plumage abnormalities in wild birds is challenging and can lead to misidentifications. However, documentation of color variation and behavior in birds can help inform future research. We encourage the reporting of observations of abnormally colored birds to further our understanding of this phenomenon.