Partially albinistic Black-necked 
Grebe Podiceps nigricollis in eastern 
Turkey 
Guy Kirwan 
Neither BWP (Cramp & Simmons 1977) or HBW (del Hoyo et al. 1992) 
record albinism in the Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis. At the 
Bendimahi Delta, Van province, eastern Turkey on 22 May 1993, 
together with Mick Davies, I observed a partially albinistic individual 
of this species. It was watched at close quarters for nearly thirty min- 
utes. Although exhibiting the normal colour pattern of a summer 
plumaged bird on the head and neck: wholly glossy black with gold- 
en-yellow filaments emanating from behind the eye; the rest of its 
plumage was almost entirely pure white, with the exception of the tail 
and tertials which were both stained huffish. This individual was 
apparently unpaired, although many of the other Black-necked Grebes 
at this locality, and at other sites visited during the same period, were 
obviously paired. I have observed many hundreds of this species, 
especially in Turkey but have never encountered any other albinistic 
birds and can find no reference to such an individual in the literature. 
Bauer and Glutz von Blotzheim (1966) Koop (1994) and Verroken and 
Verroken (1987) have placed on record a red-necked mutant of this 
species, in which the lower half of the foreneck and breast were chest- 
nut-red, as in Slavonian Grebe P.auritus. 
References 
Bauer, K.M. & Glutz von Blotzheim, U.N. (1966) Handbuch der Vogel 
Mitteleuropas 1. Frankfurt am Main. 
Cramp, S. & Simmons, K.E.L. (1977) Handbook of the birds of the Western 
Palearctic. Vol.1. Oxford University Press. 
DEL Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. (eds) (1992) Hai^dbook of the birds of the 
world. Vol.1. Ostrich to Ducks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. 
Koop, B. (1994) Rothalsige Schwarzhalstaucher Podiceps nigricollis in 
Schreswig-Holstein. Limicola 9(4): 223-225. 
Verroken, L. & Verroken, D. (1987) Black-necked Grebe with chestnut-red 
neck and breast. Dutch Birding 9(1): 15-1 6. 
Guy Kirwan, 6 Connaught Rd, Norwich NR2 3BP, UK 
31 
