This female Blackbird is becoming quite a regular. She appears to have a number of suitors, who make quite a noise when they land in the garden. I presume the female bird is already beginning to prepare a nest: you can see tufts of grass in her beak.
For those who live outside the UK, it is worth pointing out that it is only the male Blackbird who sports black plumage. The female is brown, and sometimes has dark speckles on her chest. What I believe is a little unusual about this female is that she has so much white. The bird is obviously not an albino for she most of her pigment is dark and she does not have pink eyes. I am guessing that she has a measure of
leucism, particularly since many of her kind are known to have been affected by this genetic anomaly. You can read about Blackbirds and leucistic tendencies on the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) website
here.
I shall record this Blackbird on the BTO Abnormal Plumage Survey
here ... and on the subject of recording wildlife, I would like to point out Juliet Wilson's informative post
here.
Have you seen anything slightly unusual in your home patch recently?
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| One of our male garden Blackbirds - in 'standard' Blackbird plumage |
