My dad phoned me earlier and said there was a thrush like bird with a totally white head in the garden. My mum was so excited she went to the bookshop for a bird ID book. She is well up on birds and would not have mistook it for a common species. She said it was a thrush-like bird with a white crown that came down to its beak. It was perfectly formed and symetrical as though it wasnt a mistake, although it could be a colour morph. Its a shame they didnt get any photos of it. Is there any birds here or in europe that match this discription?
Thrush with white head ID
- Thread starter firecrest
- Start date
I saw one of these a couple of weeks ago. Couldn't find it in a bird book, but I'm not well up on birds.
F
Frogy
Guest
A white crested thrush? only problem is its native to the Himilayas
http://www.birding.in/birds/Passeriformes/Sylviidae/Garrulacinae/white-crested_laughingthrush.htm
or here for a better picture
http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?action=searchresult&Bird_ID=1619
http://www.birding.in/birds/Passeriformes/Sylviidae/Garrulacinae/white-crested_laughingthrush.htm
or here for a better picture
http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?action=searchresult&Bird_ID=1619
Nah if she saw that she wouldnt have thought it was a thrush to begin with as it doesnt have a speckled chest. Ive looked and cannot find any species of thrush that resemble it but she said she saw a picture of a "white crowned something or other" which might have been it, but it wasnt a white crowned sparrow or pidgeon
It is probably an aberrant blackbird or thrush. There are not many white crowned species of songbirds about in Europe.
Partial albinism or leucism does occur in blackbirds and I have seen some with a few white flight feathers and one with an entirely white tail. There are even white headed forms:
http://www.the-soc.org.uk/photo-vie...ackbird, Carnoustie, Angus & Dundee, Jul 2008
Your parents don´t happen to live in the neighbourhood of ´Carnoustie, Angus and Dundee´? The picture in the link was taken this summer so this bird is probably still around.
Cheers,
Tom
Partial albinism or leucism does occur in blackbirds and I have seen some with a few white flight feathers and one with an entirely white tail. There are even white headed forms:
http://www.the-soc.org.uk/photo-vie...ackbird, Carnoustie, Angus & Dundee, Jul 2008
Your parents don´t happen to live in the neighbourhood of ´Carnoustie, Angus and Dundee´? The picture in the link was taken this summer so this bird is probably still around.
Cheers,
Tom
We've both seen some leucistic blackbirds before, it wasnt a blackbird. its common for them to have white feathers but I don't know how common it is in thrushes.
robin wood
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
There was a pure albino blackbird further down our valley for 2 seasons, I was amazed it wasn't picked up by the first passing sparrowhawk, it stuck out like a sore thumb.
