Odd-looking Fox Sparrow (?)-clownish (Lincoln Park)Trileigh ? sometimes birds just have a lack of pigment, which shows up as white where it shouldn?t be. I?ve heard these birds described as being ?partially leucistic?. We had a junco like your Fox Sparrow just last week at Marymoor (see a photo at the blog: http://www.marymoor.org/BirdBlog.htm)

But we?ve also had a Fox Sparrow that looks amazingly like yours, a few years ago at Marymoor. There are photos both at the top and at the middle of the page here: http://www.marymoor.org/Galleries/FOSP.htm

== Michael Hobbs
== Kirkland, WA
== http://www.marymoor.org/birding.htm
== http://www.marymoor.org/BirdBlog.htm
== birdmarymoor at frontier.com


From: Tucker, Trileigh
Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2011 3:07 PM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Tweeters] Odd-looking Fox Sparrow (?)-clownish (Lincoln Park)

Hello Tweeters,

Two sparrows were taking baths in a puddle, so I photographed them to see if I could get a good photo of splashing and washing. When I opened the photos on my computer, I was surprised to see the strange appearance of one of them ? lots of white blotches all over. I had thought from a distance that they were perhaps caused by water glinting off wet patches, but the photos suggest that these are actual feather colors. The bird does not look like typical photos of a juvenile or adult Song Sparrow or Fox Sparrow to me; its friend or mate in the puddle looks to me like a Fox Sparrow. I?d welcome corrections on both birds and a diagnosis on the odd one! Their photos are at www.flickr.com/photos/trileigh, and I have more if anyone?s interested.

Thanks in advance for any insights,
Trileigh

_______________
Trileigh Tucker
Lincoln Park, West Seattle



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