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Submitted By

Matt Moyer

Centerville, Ohio, United States

Description

For two years now, we’ve noticed this off-colored cardinal in our front yard. Last year, we suspected it was a juvenile that was coming into its plumage. This year it appears to be mature, but its coloring is still sporadic. Why could this be?

Category

“Scruffy” Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal, December 5, 2013, Centerville, Ohio

One reply on ““Scruffy” Northern Cardinal”

Ava says:

Hi, this Cardinal appears to be leucistic. Leucism is a partial loss of pigments, which results in some coloring abnormalities, like the splotches of white on this bird.

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