Xanthochromism
Xanthochromism (also called xanthochroism or xanthism), from the Greek xanthos (ξανθός) "yellow" and chroma (χρώμα) "color", is an unusually yellow pigmentation in an animal. It is often associated with the lack of usual red pigmentation and its replacement with yellow. The cause is usually genetic but may also be related to the animal's diet. The opposite of xanthochromism, a deficiency in or complete absence of yellow pigment, is known as axanthism.
Birds
Birds exhibiting genetic xanthochromism, especially deliberately bred mutations of several species of parrot in aviculture, are termed "lutinos". Wild birds in which xanthochromism has been recorded include yellow wagtail, wood warbler, Cape May warbler,[1] rose-breasted grosbeak, evening grosbeak,[2] red-bellied woodpecker, scarlet tanager, northern cardinal, great spotted woodpecker, common tailorbird, crimson-breasted shrike, kākāriki and kea. A Cornell University survey of unusual-looking birds visiting feeders reported that 4% of such birds were described as xanthochromistic (compared with 76% albinistic).[3]
Fish
Xanthochromism has also been documented in sharks[4] and other fish species.[5]
See also
References
- ^ Schnell, Gary D; Caldwell, Larry D (1966). "Xanthochroism in a Cape May Warbler". Auk. 83 (4): 667–8. doi:10.2307/4083162. JSTOR 4083162.
- ^ Helleiner CW (1979). "Xanthochroism in the Evening Grosbeak". Canadian Field-Naturalist. 93 (1): 66–7. doi:10.5962/p.346867.
- ^ "Cornell University Project Feeder Watch 2002–2003" (PDF). Archived from the original on October 30, 2004. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Marioxis Macías-Cuyare, Gilberto Rafael Borges Guzmán & Daniel Arauz-Naranjo (2025). "First record case of free-living xanthism in the nurse shark Ginglymostoma cirratum (Bonnaterre, 1788) from Caribbean Sea". Marine Biodiversity. 55 73. doi:10.1007/s12526-025-01558-5.
- ^ Schwartz FJ (1978). "Xanthochromism in Epinephelus drummondhayi (Pisces: Serranidae) caught off North Carolina". Northeast Gulf Science. 2 (1): 62–4. doi:10.18785/negs.0201.06.
- Isted, Deloris (1985). "A xanthochroistic male Purple Finch". Bulletin of the Oklahoma Ornithological Society. 18 (4): 31.
External links
- Birders’ World Magazine, August 2003
- Strange birds at your feeder
- Yellow-breasted Crimson-breasted Shrike Archived 2006-09-25 at the Wayback Machine