Male Blackbird with white feathers (1 Viewer)

[Carl Fletcher-Poole]

I was at my in-laws and they have a Blackbird that visits there garden and has done for the last 3 seasons and it has two distinct white feathers on its tail. They said even when he loses the white feather another grows in its place. Is this common in Blackbirds? Or is this just a genetic oddity? Many thanks.

 

[KC Foggin]

Probably leucistic

 

[delia todd]

Hi Carl

Oh yes... it's very common in not only Blackbirds, but black birds in general.

Here's a link to a picture of one that visited my garden a couple of years ago. He is no longer, and nor is his parent, but I've another now. There's been quite a family of them LOL.

http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=445594

You can read more about the condition in the Opus Dictionary

 

[Carl Fletcher-Poole]

Many thanks to both of you. The one at the in laws has similar white patches as your picture Delia but his tail feathers are all white making him a very individual looking bird. They call him whitey and also he seems incredibly tame for a wild bird, so next time I go I will take a photograph and post it in the gallery for you to take a look.

 

[Mike Crawley]

Too late for the OP, I know, but I have a partial leucistic Blackbird nesting in my garden.

 

[Mal92]

Just up the road from here at the school there is a male Blackbird with an almost complete pure white head!