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First Record of Colour Aberration in Common Woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus) from Aravalli Hills, Central Rajasthan, India

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Author Affiliations

  • 1Department of Zoology, Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India and Department of Environmental Science (Centre for Excellence), Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
  • 2Department of Zoology, Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India and Department of Environmental Science (Centre for Excellence), Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
  • 3Department of Zoology, Samrat Prithviraj Chouhan Government College, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
  • 4Department of Zoology, Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
  • 5Department of Environmental Science (Centre for Excellence), Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India

Int. Res. J. Biological Sci., Volume 14, Issue (4), Pages 27-29, November,10 (2025)

Abstract

Colour aberrations in birds are rare phenomena that provide insight into genetic, environmental, and physiological variations within species. This report documents a first observed case of possible brown aberration in the Common Woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus), a species typically characterized by ashy-gray and darker plumage. Brown aberration, a form of pigmentation abnormality resulting in diluted eumelanin, causes the normally dark plumage to appear warmer or lighter in tone. This note provides visual documentation, contextualizes the observation within known literature, and discusses its possible causes and implications.

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