Mutant Blackbird,finally got a pic of the beauty!

This little critter has been around my garden all since about March of this year.
Its been very elusive whenever I have appeared with my camera,but today I finally got a shot of him/her.
I am chuffed.
The photo is not great by anyone's standards,as its taken though a dirty window,and through security mesh,and is zoomed and cropped.

But,you can see its a black and white blackbird!
At least I think it is-it hangs out with all the other regular blackbirds,so I think it must be one.
Its not paint,as its been that way since I first spotted him/her back in March:



Ain't it a peach?
Does anyone know what causes this-and don't say Fukushima,because all the other blackbirds are just black..
It seems rather rare anyhow-there are a few pics of other similar ones on the web,but not many.
Here is one:
www.flickr.com...

Thanks for looking one and all.

its a crow!!! or a raven!!!
many are known to have white patches,or mottled.

www.rspb.org.uk...
www.rspb.org.uk...

I do not think Fukushima has to do with anything... i found an article(rather a forum discussion w/pic) from May 2009 regarding the Blackbirds with White feather incident.

Linky!


I think it could either be a environmental damage caused by humans or evolutionary trait? maybe mutant birds are hunted less compared to original blackbirds?

Nice one Agarta and Lucid dream-both those links explain it.
Its "partial albinism",or " leucistic" they say.

Apparently its far more common that I thought as well...
Oh well,first one I ever saw anyway.

Originally posted by reficul
its a crow!!! or a raven!!!
many are known to have white patches,or mottled.

I've never seen a crow or raven with an orange beak tho.

Maybe.

Peace

reply to post by reficul


Nah-defo not a crow-its too small,and hangs out with other blackbirds.

Cool bird.

Lets catch it and keep it.

reply to post by Silcone Synapse


you did not state all the particulars!
i'm sorry,i seen a lone bird! i have seen crows similar to this,so i assumed.
my bad,sorry!
but with limited info, you tend to do that!

reply to post by jude11


apparently,ive been 'told' it was a blackbird!
crows usually don't have orange beaks,but i have seen them,just not as bright!
i've also seen red wing black birds that are yellow,but with the same 'red' part of their wings!
i live in the country,so i see a lot of variations of colour schemes on birds!
ever seen an orange golden finch? (not female) i have! really cool!

Originally posted by reficul
reply to post by Silcone Synapse

 

you did not state all the particulars!
i'm sorry,i seen a lone bird! i have seen crows similar to this,so i assumed.
my bad,sorry!
but with limited info, you tend to do that!

Fair comment,I apologise for not stating all the particulars.

It would be cool to see a crow like that.

reply to post by Silcone Synapse


there is actually a windex commercial that has black'n'white crows in it!
google it!!!

reply to post by Silcone Synapse


I love Blackbirds, they have really unique personalities. My ex-gf's mum has a place in the country side and in the village there is a resident blackbird who is really quite tame. Once, when we were having a BBQ, we were all sat at the garden table and he just came down, hopped about the table not a foot away from us, then stole a piece of steak off a plate!

He then flew down the garden and ate his meaty reward. I've really never seen anything like it, it was hilarious.

Wow,the bird is just beautiful. I have never seen one like that. Thanks so much for sharing with us. Now leave him/her some nice treats.

Partial albinsim is frequently found in blackbirds.
www.rspb.org.uk...

I live in Germany and have often seen blackbirds with some white patches. I like to watch birds and believe, that the number of mutated blackbirds has increased in the last years. They might follow the path of other "domesticated" animals, which have developed some traits which would have been a hindereance to their wild ancestors.

Domestic pidgeons for example show a much more variable plumage than the wild form, the rock pidgeon. Like blackbirds, they prosper in an urban environment. The same is true for mallards.

Blackbirds have only recently become hemerophile animals. Before the 19th century they were shy wooddwellers. I believe blackbirds still form two distinct types of populations. Those of the woods and those of the urban envrionment. Those populations rarely intermingle. Blackbirds in urban environments behave differently than those which live in woods. I have never seen a "patched" blackbird in a non-urban environment.