When Paul Nelson heard that there was a leucistic (piebald) Song Sparrow spotted in the central U.P., he went looking for it and today's photos are what he found. According to Paul, "A leucistic bird has feathers that are white or paler than normal because the cells that make melatonin are missing. It makes for a very striking and unusually colored bird."

How interesting is that? I've heard of albino deer and a few other animals with loss of pigment in their coloring, but I think this is the first bird I've seen with this condition^ Quite unusual indeed^ From what I found on the Internet, it's a rare condition and it makes identifying a bird with it, difficult because of the coloring^ The best way to identify a bird like this is to observe what other birds are gathered with it and go from there^ Nice capture Paul!

Paul has quite a collection of photos on his Facebook photography page^ You can check it out on the following link and be sure while there, that you click the "LIKE" button! The Creator's Hand Photography.

Beautiful!

Pretty bird and great pictures!!

Great pictures of a rarity. I am amazed that he found the bird to photograph it. I have seen pictures of an albino robin but that is the only anomaly I have seen in the world of birds before this pastel version of the sparrow.

Excellent clarity and detail!

Appreciate the education! My reaction would have been that i'd never seen that type of bird before. Not sure even if it was singing it would have dawned on me it was a song sparrow with that coloration. Thanks!

Today I have learned something new. Thanks for teaching us about
the leucistic birds.

Pretty bird.