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Jay Miller
Gainesville, TX, USA
Photographed in Gainesville, TX at a gas station there on September 14, 2020. Appears to be a rare nearly-all-white common grackle. First time I had ever seen one, though apparently others have been spotted on occasion. Most photos of “white grackles” I have now viewed are not nearly as “white” as this one. Would appreciate feedback on rarity and cause of coloration.
Blackbirds & Thrushes
White grackle photo'd on September 14, 2020.
Wow that’s awesome!!
What a gorgeous bird and photo!
Hi Jay, this bird is leucistic. Leucism is the partial absence of pigments in an animal, resulting in white or lighter than normal areas of the body.
I just wanted to relay a funny anecdote.
I was going through some old photos and found a photo of a white bird that appeared to be a grackle. I googled “white grackle” and your photo was the first to come up.
My photo was taken at a gas station, and when I checked the metadata, it was in Gainesville, TX on October 11, 2020.
I think we both took a pic of the exact same bird one month apart.
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