Prime osservazioni sulle deformità negli uccelli in Algeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30456/avo.28753Parole chiave:
Aberration, Passeriformes, melanism, abnormal beaks, leucism, environmental health indicatorsAbstract
Alti tassi di deformità gravi nelle popolazioni di fauna selvatica spesso fungono da indicatori di problemi di salute ambientale sottostanti. Questo studio rappresenta il primo e più completo tentativo possibile di documentare le deformità negli uccelli in Algeria, includendo anomalie del becco e del piumaggio, leucismo, albinismo e melanismo.
Nel corso di dieci anni, sono stati documentati 50 casi di deformità in 20 province, appartenenti a trenta specie, diciotto famiglie e dieci ordini. In 13 casi sono stati osservati becchi anomali, comprese condizioni come mandibole incrociate, mandibole allungate e becchi disallineati, che potrebbero influire significativamente sulla capacità degli uccelli di alimentarsi e pulirsi efficacemente.
Il leucismo, sia parziale che completo, è stato l'anomalia più comune, rilevata in 35 casi, con il leucismo parziale come forma più frequente (n=23). Albinismo e melanismo sono risultati rari, osservati ciascuno in un solo caso. I Passeriformi hanno mostrato il maggior numero di deformità, in particolare il Passero domestico (Passer domesticus, n=5) e il Merlo comune (Turdus merula, n=3). Inoltre, sono stati osservati più casi di leucismo nella Tortora dal collare orientale (Streptopelia decaocto, n=6).
È importante sottolineare che le deformità sono state registrate sia in specie residenti (23 specie) che migratrici (7 specie), con un numero significativamente maggiore di casi osservati nelle specie residenti. Questo studio evidenzia l'importanza di un monitoraggio continuo e di ulteriori ricerche per comprendere le cause alla base di queste deformità e le loro implicazioni per la conservazione degli uccelli in Algeria.
Downloads
Riferimenti bibliografici
1. Alby M. J., Ashwin C. P., & Arjun M. S., 2023 - A photographic record of partial leucism in Greater Coucal (Stephens, 1815) (Cuculiformes: Cuculidae) from Chhattisgarh, India. Ornis Hungarica, 31(1): 197-201.
2. Amrouni, Y., Berrayah, M., Gelabert, P., Vega-Garcia, C., Hellal, B., & Rodrigues, M. (2022). Recent land cover trends in the transition region of Tiaret, Algeria. Catena, 210, 105861. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2021.105861
3. Bensch, S., Hansson, B., Hasselquist, D., & Nielsen, B. O. (2000). Partial albinism in a semi-isolated population of great reed warblers. Hereditas, 133(2), 167-170. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1601-5223.2000.t01-1-00167.x
4. Bibby C. J., Jones M., & Marsden S., 2000 - Expedition Field Techniques: Bird Surveys. BirdLife International.
5. BirdLife International, 2018 - State of the World’s Birds: Taking the Pulse of the Planet. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International.
6. Bora N., Bora C., Sharma S. R., & DaS J., 2024 - First photographic record of a colour aberrant Spotted Dove from the Brahmaputra valley of Assam, India. Ornis Hungarica, 32(1): 238-242.
7. Chedad A., Guezoul O., & Bendjoudi D., 2019 - Un cas de leucisme chez le Traquet à tête blanche Oenanthe leucopyga en Algérie. Alauda, 87(4): 348.
8. Chedad A., Bendjoudi D., Makhloufi A., & Guezoul O., 2021 - Phenomenon of partial and total albinism in the Hybrid Sparrows Passer domesticus X Passer hispaniolensis in Algeria: Phenomenon of albinism in the Hybrid Sparrows. Algerian Journal of Biosciences, 2(2): 056-058.
9. Chedad A., Bendjoudi D., Beladis B., & Guezoul O., 2022 - First Case of Leucism in the House Bunting Emberizasahari in Algeria. Journal of Bioresource Management, 9(4): 12.
10. Corrêa L. L. C., Horn N., dos Santos Bruckmann C., & Petry M. V., 2017 - Leucism in Vanellus chilensis (Molina, 1872) (Birds: Charadriiformes) in Pampa Biome, southern Brazil. Oecologia Australis, 21(2): 219-221.
11. Corrêa L. L. C., Silva D. E., Trindade A. O., & Oliveira S. V., 2011 - Registro de leucismo em pardal, Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758), para o Sul do Brasil. Biodiversidade Pampeana, 9(1): 12-15.
12. Craves J. A., 1994 - Passerines with deformed bills. North American Bird Bander, 19: 14-18.
13. Del Hoyo J., 1996 - Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 3: Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions.
14. Everitt D. A., & Miskelly C. M., 2003 - A review of isabellinism in penguins. Notornis, 50: 43-51.
15. Fry H., 2010 - The Bee-Eaters (1st ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing. Retrieved from [https://www.perlego.com/book/1357287/the-beeeaters-pdf](https://www.perlego.com/book/1357287/the-beeeaters-pdf) (Original work published 2010).
16. Gaston K. J., Blackburn T. M., & Goldewijk K. K., 2003 - Habitat conversion and global avian biodiversity loss. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 270(1521): 1293-1300.
17. Gill F. B., 2007 - Ornithology. New York: W. H. Freeman and Company. 758 p.
18. Gorosito, C. A., Gonda, H. E., & Cueto, V. (2016). Beak deformities in north Patagonian birds. Ornitología Neotropical, 27: 289-295
19. Gorosito C. A., Jahn A. E., & Cueto V. R., 2023 - Incidence of beak deformities in austral thrushes (Turdus falcklandii) increases with urbanization and flocking behavior. Integrative Zoology. DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12793.
20. Gross A. O., 1965 - The incidence of albinism in North American birds. Bird-Banding, 36(2): 67-71. DOI: 10.2307/4511145.
21. Haag-Wackernagel D., 1995 - Regulation of the street pigeon in Basel. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 23(2): 256-260.
22. Haddad K., 2024 - Des cas de leucisme chez le Choucas des tours et le Merle noir en Algérie [Cases of leucism in Jackdaw and Blackbird in Algeria]. Natura Algerica, 1(1): 1-8.
23. Handel C. M., Pajot L. M., Matsuoka S. M., Van Hemert C., Terenzi J., Talbot S. L., Mulcahy D. M., Meteyer C. U., & Trust K. A., 2010 - Epizootic of beak deformities among wild birds in Alaska: An emerging disease in North America? Auk, 127: 882-898.
24. Huebner, L., Fadhil Al-Quraishi, A.M., 2024 - Desertification in Algeria and Turkey: Climate Change Leading to “Natural Selection” of Restoration Concepts. In: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2024_1101
25. Van Hemert C., & Handel C. M., 2010 - Beak deformities in northwestern crows: evidence of a multispecies epizootic. The Auk, 127(4): 746-751.
26. Izquierdo L., Thomson R. L., Aguirre J. I., Díez‐Fernández A., Faivre B., Figuerola J., & Ibáñez‐Álamo J. D., 2018 - Factors associated with leucism in the common blackbird Turdus merula. Journal of Avian Biology, 49(9), e01778.
27. Johnson P. T. J., Chase J. M., Dosch K. L., Hartson R. B., Gross J. A., Larson D. J., Sutherland D. R., & Carpenter S. R., 2007 - Aquatic eutrophication promotes pathogenic infection in amphibians. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 104: 15781-15786.
28. Johnston R. F., & Janiga M., 1995 - Feral Pigeons. New York, NY: Oxford Academic. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195084092.001.0001.
29. Lee, F., & Keeler, C. E. (1951). Pigment variations and their correlates in birds. The Auk, 80-85. https://doi.org/10.2307/4080801
30. Ludwig J. P., Matsuba H. K., Auman H. J., Ludwig M. E., Summer C. L., Giesy J. P., Tillitt D. E., & Jones P. D., 1996 - Deformities, PCBs, and TCDD-equivalents in Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) and Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia) of the upper Great Lakes 1986-1991: Testing a cause-effect hypothesis. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 22: 172-197.
31. Mairif M. & Benzohra N., 2024 - First documented case of albinism in the African Chaffinch (Fringilla spodiogenys) in Algeria. Ornis Hungarica, 32 (2): 315-321. https://doi.org/10.2478/orhu-2024-0039
32. Mikkola H., 2013 - Owls of the world: a photographic guide. A&C Black.
33. Missagia C. C., Ferrão A. C. D. J., Vecchi M. B., Martins-Silva J., & Alves M. A. S., 2016 - Colour aberration in a Ruddy Ground Dove Columbina talpacoti (Aves: Columbiformes) in a Coastal Island of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Annales Zoologici Fennici, 53(1-2): 120-124. DOI: 10.5735/086.053.0211.
34. Newton I., 1979 - Population ecology of raptors. Vermillion, Buteo Books: South Dakota.
35. Nogueira, D. M., & Alves, M. A. S. (2011). A case of leucism in the burrowing owl Athene cunicularia (Aves: Strigiformes) with confirmation of species identity using cytogenetic analysis. Zoologia (Curitiba), 28: 53-57. doi.10.1590/s1984-467020 11000100008
36. Ohlendorf H. M., Hoffman D. J., Saiki M. K., & Aldrich T. W., 1986 - Embryonic mortality and abnormalities of aquatic birds: apparent impacts of selenium from irrigation drainwater. Science of the Total Environment, 52(1-2): 49-63.
37. Petry, M. V., Corrêa, L. L. C., Benemann, V. R. F., & Werle, G. B., 2017 - Brown plumage aberration records in Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus) and Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) in southern Brazil. Revista Brasileira de ornitologia, 25, 125-127.
38. Piersma T., & Lindström Å., 2004 - Migrating shorebirds as integrative sentinels of global environmental change. Ibis, 146: 61-69.
39. Pradhan N., & Shrestha M. B., 2023 - Records of avian deformities in Nepal. Ornis Hungarica, 31(2): 151-164.
40. Purificação, K. N., 2019 - A case of beak deformity in the Shiny Cowbird Molothrus bonariensis and a review on beak deformities in wild birds in Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia, 27, 212-217.
41. Rödel R. P., Pozzebon G. M., Vieira V. C. B., Silva D. E., & Corrêa L. L. C., 2020 - New records of birds with aberrant plumage in Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. Revista de Ciências Ambientais, 14(2): 67-71.
42. Rollin N. 1953. A note on abnormally marked song thrushes and blackbirds.– Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Northumberland, Durham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne 10: 183–184.
43. Tissier, D. (2020). De quelques observations de leucisme en région lyonnaise. L’Effraie, 51: 16-28.
44. Urcola M. R., 2011 - Aberraciones cromáticas en aves de la colección ornitológica del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”. Revista del Museo Argentino Ciencias Naturales, 13(2): 221-228.
45. Valdebenito J. O., Grandón-Ojeda A., Pantoja-Maggi V., Novoa F. J., & González-Acuña D., 2018 - Report on beak abnormalities of some birds of Patagonia. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 130(4): 1014-1019.
46. van Grouw H., 2006 - Not every white bird is an albino: sense and nonsense about colour aberrations in birds. Dutch Birding, 28(2): 79-89.
47. van Grouw H., 2012 - What colour is that sparrow? A case study: colour aberrations in the house sparrow Passer domesticus. International Studies on Sparrows, 36: 30-55.
48. van Grouw H., 2013 - What colour is that bird? The causes and recognition of common colour aberrations in birds. British Birds, 106: 17-29.
49. van Grouw H., 2014 - Some black-and-white facts about the Faeroese white-speckled Common Raven Corvus corax varius. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club, 134(1): 4-13.
50. van Grouw H., 2017 - The dark side of birds: melanism—facts and fiction. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club, 137(1): 12-36.https://doi.org/10.25226/bboc.v137i1.2017.a9
51. van Grouw H., Russell S., & Merne O. J., 2011 - Notes on colour aberrations in Common Guillemot Uria aalge and Northern Gannet Morus bassanus. SeaBird, 24: 33-41.
52. Van Hemert C., 2012 - Epizootic of beak deformities in Alaska: investigation of an emerging avian disease. Dissertation (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks.
53. Winkler D. W., Billerman S. M., & Lovette I. J., 2020 - Sandgrouse (Pteroclidae), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (Billerman S. M., Keeney B. K., Rodewald P. G., & Schulenberg T. S., Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.pteroc1.01.
54. Withgott, J.H., & Mcmahon, J.A. (1993). Conspecific harassment of a leucistic Barn Swallow. Bulletin of the Oklahoma Ornithological Society, 26 (4): 38-39.
55. Zylberberg, M., Van Hemert, C., Handel, C. M., Liu, R. M., & DeRisi, J. L., 2021 - Poecivirus is present in individuals with beak deformities in seven species of North American birds. The Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 57(2), 273-281.https://doi.org/10.7589/JWD-D-20-00017
Dowloads
Pubblicato
Versioni
- 2026-02-02 (2)
- 2026-01-29 (1)
Come citare
Fascicolo
Sezione
Licenza
Copyright (c) 2025 Mohamed Belkacem, Belkacem Aimene Boulaouad, Mohamed Mairif, Tayeb Djetti

Questo lavoro è fornito con la licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Condividi allo stesso modo 4.0.
Accettato 2025-11-15
Pubblicato 2026-02-02



