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Jen Snyder
Tualatin, OR, USA
I’ve attached two pictures of one of the dark-eyed juncos that comes to my feeder that has very unusual plumage – a lot more white mottling on the back than is typical for the juncos I see.
Melanism
I have a number of dark-eyed juncos that come to my feeder, but this fellow has unusual plumage - the mottled white on his back is unlike any of the other juncos
This bird is leucistic. Meaning that some of its feather lack pigment.
We have a junco with the top of his head irregular white. Posting since we’re in Pendleton, not too far as the bird flies, from Tualatin. I was a wildlife bio and said to my husband, “Hey, there’s a melanistic bird!”
No luck with a photo so far.
There has been a leucistic junco with a mostly white head at my neighbor’s feeders for months now. We are near the Umatilla-Grant Counties area between the North Fork and Middle Fork of the John Day Rivers.
I have a dark-eyed junco with patches of white on its head and one wing. Everything else seems typical. Kinda bossy with the others!
Clarksville Arkansas. January 12, 2024
We have a similar bird in Selah, Wa. Appears to be a Junco, has mottled head feathers, a little more pinkish sides than the others.
There’s been one of these coming to my 3rd story deck for the last few weeks – Kirkland, WA – July/Aug
Last year I have 5 dark eyed Junco showing up regularly. During nesting I saw just three and they were carrying food away.
Then there was a lull; no birds were showing up.
Now there are three showing up. They look like they are in various stages of molting and look a little scruffy. Two have regular Oregon Junco coloring, but one is mottled gray and white. So “leucistic”?
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