I reviewed my Olympia and Salem banding notes. Of the 2,600 passerines
that I have handled, I noted 2 with leucistic feathers. One was last
week's male Oregon Junco with a few flecks of white on an otherwise black
face.

The other was a Song Sparrow -Melospiza melodia- which had a white patch
on the left side of its throat. I had seen this bird at my feeder for
over a year prior to my banding it. It remained in the area for another
season, and its white patch remained through at least 2 body molts.

I would imagine that such a pattern would result from genetics, rather
than injury, etc. Could minor genetic "defects" cause such anomalies in
plumage in individual birds?

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, WA
anderjda at dfw.wa.gov