Leucistic Bird Visitors
/Several species of birds displaying abnormal white feather patterns have visited my garden. The condition called leucism results from a partial loss of pigmentation causing a white, pale, or patchy coloration of the feathers. Sometimes a bird’s plumage will be totally white which is often mistaken as an albino.
Last August, a leucistic female Northern Cardinal visited my backyard. She was harshly harassed by the resident female cardinals and soon disappeared. After an absence of four months, she returned in mid December and remained for about a week. Much to my surprise, she had undergone a major attitude change. She was highly aggressive to the resident female cardinals and unrelentingly secured her place at the feeder. I was pleasantly entertained by her drinking at my deck water feature and hovering for sunflower seeds at my feeder. She has not returned as of this posting.
