Red Headed Woodpecker with White Wings? (1 Viewer)

[mawmawangela]

I'm no "birder" but we really want to know if this bird is an anomaly or what. My sister has an RV park with cabins and such on Lake Toledo Bend, midlake at the Texas/La. border. She keeps bird feeders and squirrel feeders filled so she's gathered quite a crowd of different birds at her place. She says this is a woodpecker, so I assume she's seen it pecking, but I cannot find any mention of a solid white red-headed woodpecker, and after looking at a couple of hundred birds that are white, or contain the color white, I still can't be certain what this bird is.

The pics are through her patio glass but I'm trying to get her to take better ones. Can anyone help? Thanks so very much!

 

[etudiant]

Very interesting photos.
Albino birds can be all white, but this looks like a Red Headed Woodpecker that is white only from the neck down. That is quite unusual.
She might want to contact her local Audubon to get this bird on record.

 

[mawmawangela]

That's what I was thinking when I realized I could not find it on the nets! Thanks so much. I'll tell her.

 

[Dancat]

Very cool find! I've never seen anything like this!

 

[Bird_Bill]

Appears to be a partially leucistic Red-headed woodpecker

>This< describes leucism and albanism in birds.

No doubt, local Audubon chapter would be delighted to hear about it.
Any local universities with a biology lab, would be interested.
If you search for examples, you will find a few on the web,
but none as striking as that bird. Beautiful animal!