Biotemas (Mar 2009)
Two cases of leucism in Southern Lapwing Vanellus chilensis (Molina, 1782) in the south of Brazil.
Abstract
We present the reports of two leucistic individuals of the Southern Lapwing Vanellus chilensis obtained in the rural area of the municipality of Novo Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul, and at the Botanic Garden of Curitiba, Paraná, south of Brazil. Both individuals presented chromatic aberrations in the plumage of the head, repeating a possible pattern for the Southern Lapwing, already reported for some other species. These represent the second and third records of aberrant plumage reported for the species. They resemble the first, obtained in the Brazilian Pantanal. Few studies mention the occurrence of aberrant plumages observed in nature, hindering the detection of patterns and conclusions concerning the possible causes and effects.
