Unusual Bird: Dark house sparrow
Additional images:
in low light the sparrow looks black, the photo shows more detail then looking at it with naked eye. The sparrow showed up at the feeder mixed in with 50 other sparrows
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8 comments on “Unusual Bird: Dark house sparrow”
In searching for information on another dark bird we observed at home, I came across this information published in 1880 on a black phase of English sparrow. I thought it would be interesting trivia to go along with these photos.
From JSTOR
ADDITIONAL CASES OF ALBINISM AND MELANISM IN NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS on JSTOR
Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club
Vol. 5, No. 1 (JANUARY, 1880), pp. 25-30 (6 pages)
Journal article:
ADDITIONAL CASES OF ALBANISM AND MELANISM IN NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS
By Ruthven Dean
[Pg. 30.]
MELANISTIC PHASE.
1. Passer domestica. ENGLISH SPARROW. – In Naumann’s work (Vol. IV, p. 458), he says, “Finally there is still a black variety, Fringilla domestica nigra, which is wholly coal-black or brownish-black.” Three specimens of this dark phase are in the Museum at Munich, Germany (Merrill).
Hey Tom, I believe that this House Sparrow has a condition known as melanism. Melanism is an increase of black pigments in an animal’s body, resulting in the animal looking darker than normal. He sure is a beauty!
Ava
Yesterday a bird that looked ujst like this was at my feeders with the house sparrows I usually see. They were all picking through some spilled sunflower seed on the ground. At first I thought it was a junco, but no white chest and no yellow bill.
I saw one today (totally black) among a bunch of sparrows on a sidewalk in Baltimore, MD!
I saw one at my feeder yesterday- looked like a sparrow but shaded black- not a junco; I’m hoping it returns to get a better look!
I just had a black sparrow in my feeder!! Absolutely beautiful!!! I have NEVER seen one in my 70yrs..it was feeding with my flock of house sparrows that are so completely spoiled rotten by my happy feeder husband..what a treat!!
I had a black sparrow that looked just like yours at my feeder yesterday. Like you, I often have 50+ sparrows. I wish I had photo. I’ve been trying like crazy to identify it. Melanism seems most logical.
Just spotted one myself this morning in Johnson County, IA. Hoping he comes back so I can get a picture for confirmation. I’m off to the store to get some more sunflower seeds to entice him back! Never imagined I’d be trying to encourage House Sparrows.