The chestnut-backed chickadee is the type of chickadee we usually get in our area.
They always visit in small flocks and are quite “chatty” and animated.
Last September I noticed a different looking bird in the garden.
This mostly white bird behaved like a chickadee.
I carefully got closer to the window with my camera.
I was able to take a few photos, but the light made focusing difficult.
And my dirty window didn’t help either. 😉
This strange little guy didn’t stick around for very long.
After the bird flew off I googled “white chickadee”.
That’s when I learned about leucistic birds.
A leucistic bird has reduced pigmentation in its feathers.
This can be partial or complete and features bilateral symmetry.
The eyes however are black in this genetic condition,
unlike albinos which have red eyes and legs.
Leucistic birds often don’t survive very long.
Their different appearance makes it difficult to learn all the
“regular chickadee behavior”,
like songs and calls and can be a hindrance in finding a mate.
After the brief encounter through my window, I was on alert.
The next day the chickadee came back and stayed a bit longer.
Still, it was very shy and difficult to photograph.
It bathed, it nibbled on sunflower and thistle seeds.
It was very exciting since I’d never seen a leucistic bird before.
Originally I had wondered if it was an albino bird.
Anyway, this little guy flew off not long after and hasn’t come back since.
What a special visit!!
🙂
in cahoots with muddy boots 
I love the shot of the leucistic chickadee Sabine! Good for you!
If you ever find yourself in the same situation, change your focusing pattern to a single dot in the centre.
If you do not know how to do that read your manual. You’ll be shooting like a sniper with just one point.
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Thanks for the tip Wayne! I’ll check the manual and will also cross my fingers that I’m outside already next time. Have you seen a leucistic bird? I hope all is well in your neck of the woods! 🙂
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No,I have never seen a leucistic bird or animal for that matter, only through stills and video.
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That’s just charming! I have never heard of leucistic birds. Or even albino birds.
Good to have your blog to read again.
🙂
Trish > > >
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Trish, the leucistic bird was a first for me, too. It was quite surprising to have such an unusual visitor.
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Adorable and wonderful captures!
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Thanks Cindy!
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Chickadees are one of my favorite birds – always so cute and perky. This one is exceptional with its leucistic characteristics. I recently did a post about a black bird with a white head and learned it was a Common Grackle that had leucism.
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Oh how interesting about your Common Grackle sighting! Would you please send me the link. Until I spotted this chickadee I was unaware of leucism.
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Sure, I will send the link below Sabine. I saw this black bird with a white head, but it was from the back and it’s not a great picture. I Googled around and didn’t think of leucism as I originally thought it was a Magpie, but the colors were reversed and Magpies aren’t around here. I sent the picture to a friend who owns a Wild Birds Unlimited store – he didn’t know so he sent the picture to one of the interpreters/naturalists at Lake Erie Metropark where I saw the bird. He confirmed what two fellow bloggers said – and apparently it is not unusual for Common Grackles to have leucism tendencies. Your Chickadee is darling – too bad you can’t keep it close to your yard to give it a longer lifespan. You have to scroll down about 3/4s of the way thru this post:
https://lindaschaubblog.net/2022/03/28/a-tale-of-two-seasons/
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Thanks for the link, Linda! I’ll check it out!
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It was just a small picture unfortunately but I couldn’t understand why it had a white head.
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A friend in Sacramento just sent a picture of a leucistic turkey that’s been roaming our old neighborhood there. It had a lot of white, but more speckled overall. I thought you might find this interesting.
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That is interesting – I wonder what is causing all this leucism Sabine? Is it a food source for them, climate change, weather temps especially?’
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I wish I knew what’s causing this condition, Linda. From what I’ve read it seems to be a genetic mutation.
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That’s too bad Sabine – hopefully it does not harm the birds at all. We have bird flu here and experts are cautioning about feeding the birds and cleaning the feeders. It is always something these days.
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No warnings here so far Linda! I do try to keep everything related to birds and feeders as clean as I can. Hopefully it’ll resolve itself soon.
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On Wild Birds Unlimited site they said we are allowed to feed the birds still, with no restrictions, just keep the feeders clean. They expect the issue to resolve itself in about a month – I don’t know how they came up with that date or why. But that is good.
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What a blessing to see this little bird, Sabine. I thought the photos were magnificent (would not have known that the windows were dirty!). I am so glad you shared these photos and your insights with us.
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Thank you LuAnne! Seeing this little guy sure felt special. I hope to see him or her again sometime.
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Wonderful pictures. Great to see you back online and sharing your pictures again, always a treat.
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Thanks Gordon! Good to hear from you. Everything okay with you guys?
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Sabine, Sorry to be off-topic, but I thought I would share this with you. We have been feeding birds at our home for over 5 years and this is the first time we have had a problem with rats. Two weeks ago, while watching evening birds feeding, we notice a rummaging around in the tossed out black oil sunflower seeds. It turned out to be a group of 5 rats of various sizes. Well, to shorten this notice up, I trapped and killed one very large rat. It was 8 inches long, not including its tail. I will tolerate most animals in my backyard, but rats and not on my list. I haven’t seen any more activity since the trapping. Hopefully the rest took the hint and are going to be staying away, OR ELSE!!!!
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Oh! 😬 Rats are not welcomed here either. I’ve never seen any around here or noticed any signs of any, but we do get the occasional mouse. I don’t care for those either. I know that rats are more common near creeks and rivers. A friend in Santa Rosa had to take down all her feeders a few years ago because rats suddenly showed up all over her neighborhood. And in Sacramento they would walk along the telephone wires! 😳 Creepy creatures! I hope that they now stay away so you can continue feeding birds. Happy Spring! 🙋♀️
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He’s handsome, Sabine. That must have been a real treat to see!
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It was a treat, especially once I realized what it was. A friend in Sacramento just saw a leucistic turkey roaming our old neighborhood!
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Wow! I’d never heard of a leucistic bird.
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