Black (melanistic) flamingo spotted in Israel?

Capture it, band it, and release it. The band will confirm the identity, in case there are other melanistic individuals.

Over time the flamingo's movements can be tracked, whenever it is sighted. This information would be far more valuable than bringing it into captivity.

:p

Hix
 
Now, if researchers get that specimen's DNA in any way, it would be only a matter of time for 'greedy' flamingo breeders to order its cloning... it happens as soon as flamingo genome manipulation advances to same level as for poultry, and is much more possible than cloning of passenger pigeon or other extinct avian species.
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Nobody has ever cloned an animal with a shelled egg. The way we clone animals now just doesn't work with birds and reptiles.

Look up bird cloning and al you'll find are KFC conspiracy sites and pie in the sky de-extinction stories.
 
I dont see a reason to catch it, unless it shows bad condition and needs rescuing. It is a perfect ambassador for wild flamingos in eastern Mediterrain region. Interesting for local newspapers and ordinary citizens. Identifiable even without binoculars (unlike when you want to read Darwic bands). it can attract more people into bird-watching.

I tend to think it´s the same bird as before in Izrael. While melanizm is not unknown in Greater flamingos (there is one bird with dark neck in the feral colony on Dutch/German border), it is really rare.

My guess - this bird is still immature and comes probably from one of colonies in Turkey (they are in unaccesible terrain and hard to monitor). It will be interesting to see where it will decide to breed one day. Flamingo population in the Mediterranean is growing fast and birds often build nests at new sites. This bird might easily become mascot of such a new site and help gain protection status for the new colony.
 
And it is not just for DNA you could use the feather. If you make a slice-through you can easily see what is causing the unusual colour by changes in the structure of the feather. So no need to catch the bird at all.

Secondly you know that EAZA has a policy against breeding colour-morphs.
 
Elephas Maximus said:
Not exactly - melanistic animals tend to live longer than their normally colored counterparts due to better disease resistance
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Could you provide any scientifically accurate sources for that claim?
Sometimes melanism might be an advantage for the individual specimen (like in the case of melanistic Vipera berus specimens at higher altitudes). But any average vet can tell you that black =/= better health-unless that very vet happens to be a black supremacist...;)
 
Thanks for providing the links, but-none of them supports your claim. The first one states that melanism might(sic) be of advantage in some environments/situations in regard to wolves and felids. I already mentioned this in regard to Vipera berus. The second link even states in the final sentence of its abstract that"(...) neither melanin nor vitamin D production improve survival in severe malaria."
Sorry, but this does not back up your generalisation.
 
Black ....flamingo.....

Surely the whole point of Flamingos (from the purely aesthetic point of view) is that they are pink? Most birds are not pink. Lots of birds are black, no need for another one. I would agree that this bird should be left in the wild, as an interesting aberrant individual whose fortunes can be easily followed.
 
Elephas Maximus said:
Btw what is the purpose of keeping greater flamingoes at zoos besides of ornamental and educational? The species is not endangered, and its captive breeding can't support wild populations.
So black greater flamingoes should have same 'rights' as fancy morphs of other bird species to exist in captivity and be exhibited at zoos, whether bred for profit or not - observing an intraspecific variability is educational too.
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They are kept because;
Greater flamingo - Phoenicopterus roseus : WAZA : World Association of Zoos and Aquariums
 
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