By
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June 8, 2018
SYDNEY — One of Australia’s
rarest birds, the “black kookaburra,” has been photographed for the first time
in Western Australia, local media reported on Friday.
The iconic Australian laughing
bird naturally has white, brown and blue feathers. Experts believed the black
kookaburra captured by an anonymous amateur photographer is likely the result
of a highly unusual genetic mutation.
“What we know is that some
mutations in birds can upset the production of pigments and result in excessive
production of melanin, which is the very dark pigment,” West Australia
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions ornithologist Allan
Burbidge said.
While there has been a handful of
sightings on the east coast of the country, the photograph, taken 300 km south
of Perth on a property near the township of Manjimup, is believed to be the
first recorded West Australia sighting in almost seven decades.
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