Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ns-mx!iowasp.physics.uiowa.edu!maverick.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!munnari.oz.au!metro!cluster!andrewt From: andrewt@cs.su.oz (Andrew Taylor) Newsgroups: rec.birds Subject: Re: Albatross plumage: query on colour of the rump Message-ID: <1208@cluster.cs.su.oz.au> Date: 20 Sep 90 01:43:50 GMT References: Sender: news@cluster.cs.su.oz.au Reply-To: andrewt@cluster.cs.su.oz (Andrew Taylor) Distribution: rec.birds Organization: Basser Dept of Computer Science, University of Sydney, Australia Lines: 29 In article 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