A rare yellow colour form of the familiar Ring-necked Parakeet was photographed at Crossness Nature Reserve on Saturday 26th July, reports Site Manager Karen Sutton.
This yellow form of the Ring-necked Parakeet, feeding on Elder at Crossness, is likely to be an escaped cage bird. (Photo: James Hudson).
Birding UK says: This is a colour form [of Ring-necked Parakeet] know as ‘lutino’, in which a genetic mutation causes the blue component of the natural colour to be lost (another mutation gives a ‘blue’ form). In this case the genetics that lead to the yellow colour are sex linked and only females have been found to be affected. Males can carry the gene but will still be green, and young females will only be yellow if they are the result of a cross between a lutino female and a ‘carrier’ male – which means that, although common in captivity, this colour form is rarely seen in the wild.
Mike Robinson took this shot of the bird sitting pretty amongst a myriad of black Elder berries.
