PARTIAL MELANISM IN KING PENGUINS APTENODYTES PATAGONICUS

Although uncommon, abnormal colouration is not unknown in penguins. Full or partial leucism (absence of pigmentation in the plumage) has been documented for at least seven species (Falla 1937, vanWyk 1995, Valencia et al. 1997). Melanism, or abnormally dark plumage, is caused by an increase in the a...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gentoo P. Papua, Macaroni E. Chrysolophus, Chinstrap P, Louise K. Blight, Sylvia Stevens
Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 1999
Subjects:
Falla
King Penguins
Pygoscelis adeliae
Online Access:http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.544.6554
http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/28_1/28_1_14.pdf
Description
Summary:Although uncommon, abnormal colouration is not unknown in penguins. Full or partial leucism (absence of pigmentation in the plumage) has been documented for at least seven species (Falla 1937, vanWyk 1995, Valencia et al. 1997). Melanism, or abnormally dark plumage, is caused by an increase in the amount of eumelanin present in the feathers and has been reported in Adélie Pygoscelis adeliae and Royal Eudyptes schlegeli Penguins (Falla 1937). It has also been observed in

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