Outdoor Ontario

Request for Information => Bird ID => Topic started by: JimmyM on April 27, 2009, 11:03:51 AM

Title: Albino Sparrow ?
Post by: JimmyM on April 27, 2009, 11:03:51 AM

From the past - but interesting and sort of cute .

The white bird visited my feeder ( alone ) and I thought it was an escapee white canary . A friend also sighted the bird in the parking lot of the Clarkson plaza, near my home, and ID'd it as a white sparrow . I recently received this photo from a local photographer, who okay'd my posting of his photo, and the bird probably is an albino house sparrow ? The photo was taken at about the same time as our sightings.
 Best regards,
Jim

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37848947@N06/3480295748/

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Post by: Bird Brain on April 27, 2009, 11:30:42 AM

Cute photo.

Is Clarkson plaza the one with Dollarama, McDonald's, etc.?

Jo-Anne  :)

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Post by: JimmyM on April 27, 2009, 12:04:44 PM

Jo-Anne ,
The plaza is called Clarkson Crossing and is located at the SW corner of Southdown Rd and Royal Windsor Dr.
Regards,
Jim

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Post by: Bird Brain on April 27, 2009, 03:23:33 PM

Thanks, Jim.

I remember when that SW corner was a field and Clargreen Gardens was just South of there on Southdown Rd.  I still miss that place - used to go there a lot!  

Jo-Anne  :)

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Post by: JMCDA on April 27, 2009, 04:19:59 PM

That is cool!  

Is it just me or does there seem to be more than the usual number of albino/part albino or leucistic birdies showing up - red tails, crows, robins, now a sparrow....or have I just not noticed before?

Joann

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Post by: Bird Brain on April 27, 2009, 11:04:47 PM

Quote from: "JMCDA"

Is it just me or does there seem to be more than the usual number of albino/part albino or leucistic birdies showing up - red tails, crows, robins, now a sparrow....or have I just not noticed before?

Joann

Joann ... there does seem to be more than usual!

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Post by: BirderBill on May 14, 2009, 09:35:32 AM

I have noticed several references to "Part-Albino" crows, and I would suggest that in the crow family it is common to find the white plumage showing up more as a sign of stress, than of actual albinism.
I am not very knowledgeable, but I put this out as "something I heard" in the past.
Anyone better informed to expand on this?