I am not sure what specific berries we lacked during winter that would
contribute, but of course, purple finches and house finches could have been
influenced by diets south of here.
On the other hand, it appears that carotenoids that end up purple-red are the
result of conversion of yellower
I'm always amazed at the differences between here and the Ithaca area.
Over the years we have encountered very few yellow HOFI, probably less
than a handful. Purple Finch yellowish plumes on the other hand were not
at all unusual, and as Linda points out, in the drier years.
Other differences are
ng in Bird Biology
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
159 Sapsucker Woods Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
k...@cornell.edu
607-254-2452
From: Linda Orkin
Sent: Friday, May 5, 2017 6:17 PM
To: Kevin J. McGowan
Cc: CAYUGABIRDS-L; W Larry Hymes
Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] Further info Y
I would imagine no one can be surprised at poor condition in these birds this
year with the dearth of carotenoid source fruits and berries over this past
fall and winter. This would not be permanent but could be corrected with better
diet, correct Kevin?
Thx
Linda Orkin
Sent from my iPhone
No, the most likely explanation is that it is a young male in relatively poor
condition. The captive experiments showed that poor diet makes for more yellow
and less red birds. Those ideas apply to wild birds, as well. Yellowish House
Finches are relatively common. I usually see a few each year.
