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Rosemary Thomas
Dallas County, TX, United States
This junco visits feeder only periodically, over the whole winter season; seems healthy, but defers to other juncos at feeders. The photo isn’t very good, but the white markings are symmetrical if a little erratic. Besides the white around the eyes is an irregular streak of white across the upper breast. The pattern hasn’t changed all winter.
junco with white eye rings (first view)
Oh! I just now discovered a similar one at my feeder. I’m in Manhattan, KS and I have a dark-eyed junco with splotches of white around her eyes, beak, and breasts, so much so that she looks juvenile but it’s too late in the season for that (january). She too defers to the other birds,
Thought it was interesting so I went searching to see if others had encountered a similar look in juncos.
Hi, your description matches a condition known as leucism. Leucism is the partial loss of melanin in an animal, resulting in white patches, dots, or areas of the body.
I saw one last season with one white irregular eye ring. The other eye was normal. A moment ago I just saw it again. I live in Hayward, California.
My bird has white rings the whole way around both eyes, so distinctive. Perfect circle. Doesn’t like the other birds and there us only one we have seen.
I saw one of these today too !
One has been visiting my suet feeder in Olympia, WA this week. Almost exactly the same marking. White feathers peppered under the eye on both sides of face.
Saw one today, well defined white ring around tne eye, no other white spots. Toronto, Canada
I have one that visits my feeder almost daily right now. His eye rings are more solid beneath the eyes and has an oddly short tail for a junco. Seems to get along well enough with the other juncos but mostly feeds beneath the tube feeder instead of landing on it like the others.
This is in Bellingham, WA
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