Alder Tit - Pale Green

Description:

This mutation involves a dilution of eumelanin and pheomelanin comparable to the ‘pastel’ mutation found in the Goldfinch, with the difference that, in the Goldfinch, the mutation is sex-linked, whereas in the Siskin, it is an autosomal dominant trait. It is currently difficult to give this type of mutation a precise name, but it is essential to be able to identify it without causing confusion with mutations of different genetic origins that already exist in other species; we shall therefore use the term ‘DILUTE GREEN’. (C.O.M. designation)

Male: The crown is dark grey with greenish-grey highlights. The back is greenish streaked with dark grey. The throat is dark grey in some individuals. The breast is greenish-yellow with a greyish tinge. The flanks are greenish streaked with grey. The flight feathers and tail feathers are grey with gradual dilution. The same yellow hues as in the wild form are observed in the wing mirrors and tail feathers. Some birds display russet-brown markings on the tertiary flight feathers. The wing bar is yellow-brown, verging on orange in some males, which does not mean that these birds have ingested artificial colouring.

Female: The plumage as a whole is predominantly greenish-grey. The crown and back are greenish-brown with a grey veil streaked with dark grey-brown. The flanks are streaked with dark grey-brown against a yellowish-grey background. The flight feathers and tail feathers are as in the male. The wing mirrors are pale yellow.

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