Some black-and-white facts about the Faeroese white-speckled Common Raven Corvus corax varius

摘要

The white-speckled raven, a colour aberration of the Faroese Raven Corvus corax varius Brunnich, 1764, has occurred in the Faroe Islands since at least the Middle Ages. It has been described in many publications, and was a desired object for collectors of curiosities, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries. Early in the 20th century (1902) the last white-speckled individual was seen in the Faeroes, leaving only about two dozen specimens in museum collections. Although often referred to as albino, the aberration causing the white feathers is not albinism but leucism.