Piebald

For the musical group, see Piebald (band).

A piebald is an animal, especially a horse, that has large white and black patches. The colour of the horse's skin underneath its coat may vary between black (under the black patches of hair) and pink (under the white patches). In the UK, it is typically considered a manifestation of the Tobiano gene, though in the United States the color scheme appears in both Overo and Tobiano individuals. The underlying genetic cause is a condition known as leucism.

Similar to the skewbald and oddbald, these colours are now no longer in common use in the UK and are more correctly referred to as Coloured. However, the term is still in common parlance in Ireland where piebald horses are popular amongst Irish Travellers. In the U.S., the more common term for this colouring is pinto, with the specialized term "paint" referring specifically to a spotted breed of horse with American Quarter Horse or Thoroughbred bloodlines, whereas pinto referrs to a spotted horse of any breed.

Dogs, cats, pigs and many other species may also be piebald. Snakes, especially Ball Pythons, may also exhibit seemingly varying patches of completely pigmentless scales along with patches of pigmented scales.

Also was used in The Conservationist by Nadine Gordimer when referring to kingfishers.

See also