Towheeblog

TWO American Goldfinches with white head feathers. Each with its unique splotch of white. Parent and child? Siblings?
Here is the whuter one which I noticed first a couple weeks back:

Now this bird came to our feeder today with many other goldfinches:

Erin Ulruch, pres. of Rogue Valley Audubon, sent me these two pics from a garden in Jackson County:

Click here for scientific publication on leucstic goldfinches–I could find no statistics on how often this might occur. I have previosuy seen limited leucism pass from one generation of American Robin to the next.
I’ve previously seen leucism in several species: Song and Fox Sparrow, Brewer’s Whitebird, Red-tailed Hawk (was nesting with ordinary looking mate), juncos, Surfbird (all white), California Towhee (bred and had normal plumage young), robin, B-C Chickadee. Weirc colored Mallards in city parks don’t count…their sexual proclivites are such that they breed with other ducks including the domestic Mallards that are white ducks.