misan@ra.abo.fi (Annika Forsten DC) (09/18/90)
I'm posting this for a friend in Holland who can't post to rec.birds yet.
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Any Australians or New Zealanders for this one?
On 30 november 1980 an Albatross-type bird flew past the Dutch coast.
It resembled an immature Black-browed Albatross (Diomedea melanophris)
but the distance was to great to allow specific identification (bill could
not be seen). The bird was rejected by the Dutch Rarity Committee as an
`Albatross', Diomedea spec., mainly on the ground of one `abnormality':
the rump was off-white / mottled greyish, not white (it did form a contrast
with the dark tail and lower-back). The Rarity Committee argued that this
feature can never be shown by Mollymawk Albatrosses (the relevant species
are Black-browed and (perhaps) Grey-headed and Yellow-nosed) and that the
bird perhaps could have been a Giant Petrel, Macronectes spec..
I have two questions:
- Can Mollymawk Albatrosses show a rump which is not pure white but
greyish? If so, under what circumstances or in what age?
- Can Giant Petrels have a plumage similar to that of a Mollymawk
Albatross? If so, under what circumstances or in what age?
If you don't know the answers yourself but do know someone who does,
please send me his/her address.
I do read the net; but due to local policies I can't submit any
follow-ups at the moment. I will E-mail to those who respond.
To make things even worse, I`ll be out of the country until the
23rd September.
Thanks, Rolf de By (deby@cs.utwente.nl)
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Annika Forstenandrewt@cs.su.oz (Andrew Taylor) (09/20/90)
In article <MISAN.90Sep18131529@ra.abo.fi> misan@ra.abo.fi (Annika Forsten DC) writes (for Rolf de By (deby@cs.utwente.nl)): > [details of a rejected dutch albatross sighting] > - Can Mollymawk Albatrosses show a rump which is not pure white but > greyish? If so, under what circumstances or in what age? I'm have little experience with albatrosses or giant petrels. However I checked out at Seabirds of Australia by Terry Lindsay, Angus & Robertson(1986). It shows a photo of a Black-Browed Albatross in flight with the usual adult plumage white head and neck, and slate-grey back wing upper-surface and tail *but* it has a light grey belly and rump instead of the usual white. The grey is similar to that on the head of a Grey-Headed Albatross. It gives the bird a definite 3-tone appearance. Ut would seem to fit the observation well. This plumage is not mentioned in the text nor in the text or illustrations of other books I examined. The photo is captioned adult. It was taken near Sydney. > - Can Giant Petrels have a plumage similar to that of a Mollymawk > Albatross? If so, under what circumstances or in what age? None the of giant petrel illustrations or photos I could find have a similar plumage. If the above isn't enough you should get the comments of the Curator of Birds at the Australian Museum on the sighting. Contact me via e-mail if you want to do this. Andrew