Tweetings!

I have a question about albinism in robins. A friend called me today to
report seeing a white-headed robin in a flock of 100-150 robins that passed
through her place in rural Rainier, Oregon. The robin was normally colored
all over except the head, which was pure white. And she noticed some pale
blue coloring around the eye, but did not notice the color of the eye itself.

Is this a partial albino individual? If so, what patterns are normally seen
besides this one?

She also noted that this bird was behaving like all the rest of the robins,
who paid it no special attention.

Darrel Whipple
Rainier, Oregon
dwhipple at columbia-center.org