Gail Harland’s WATERBIRDS

LUE eyes are rare in mammals and uncommon in birds. Brown pelicans have blue eyes during the breeding season and jackdaws have light blue eyes, but the blue-eyed cockatoo actually has brown eyes and it is the light blue rim of featherless skin around each eye that gives the bird its name. Then there), of which just under half of the UK’s captive population do have blue eyes! This is an unusual duck with eyes of such a pale misty blue they appear almost white. The plumage is striking, too, with a white head, breast and belly and a black back, rump and tail.