Friday, June 25, 2010

Crow with White Feather


Once I started watching birds, I look at all birds. About one month ago I was driving down Elizabeth Avenue when I spotted a crow with some white on it. I wanted to stop but traffic was backed up on both sides of the road. By the time I found a place to turn around and return the different crow was gone.

Having forgotten about it, I was driving down Elizabeth Ave. on Wednesday when I spotted a crow with a white feather picking at garbage. This time there was no one behind me and I pulled into a driveway and grabbed my camera.

I got a couple of shots but this unusual specimen did not want to pose. I think he was more interested in the trash. I got two shots on the ground and then it flew up on a house where I was able to get a couple of shots of the different markings.

I ran a Google search and came up a discussion on similar birds found in the U.S. http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=65078

If you have any insight on this aberration, please leave a comment.

36 comments:

  1. I saw a bird like this in my yard in Arkansas

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  2. i saw one today, so searching online i found your blog.. vancouver island btw and there have been albino crows found only about 30 miles from here... was a blessing to see this fellow today :D

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  3. I also recently saw one in my backyard in East Tennessee

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  4. I saw two on Mew's Place Saturday morning. First I have seen in NL.

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  5. I saw one in Central Scotland today but it was about a third white feathers. It was hanging out with the regular black crows. I will see if I can get a pic tomorrow or monday

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  6. I saw one at Crescent Beach near Vancouver, BC which had one white feather.

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  7. I have a young crow with white feathers living in our garden never seen this before I live in Jimboomba QLD Australia

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  8. We have 2 here, everyday. I live in Chicoutimi, Québec, Canada

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  9. Tigard Oregon...at first I thought
    It had landed on a white painted fence...but when it flew off I saw alot of white under it's wings.
    .hangs out with all my crow buddies...we do lunch !@@@
    WHAT IS THAT BIRD ???

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  10. I spotted one in Seaside, Oregon yesterday

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    1. The staff and I at my church’s summer care program found a baby one on the playground. “Rocky” (kids named him) is alive and working on flying. So cute!

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  11. When I first saw one, I thought it was very unusual. Since then, I have seen numerous. According to all of the post here, this is a common occurrence Thanks for sharing.
    .

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  12. Spotted one today Mascoma NH. First ever.

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  13. I have a crow with a white stripe on each side, see it quite often

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  14. We have one with a white spot on top of his head that visits daily to the seed and the bath for about 2 weeks now. Beautiful shiny black all over except that one spot. He is loner. Not with the other crows who usually are in large flocks. He is also a bit smaller. Not much tho. Maybe adolescent.

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    1. i have a similar crow, a bit of white on both sides, just the wings. It is smaller and comes for my peanuts. opens the squirrel feeder. This crow ..talked... a sweet kind of rolling around of sound in its mouth. Quite remarkable.

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  15. I have a pair of crows visit my garden and bird bath regularly and just this week, another arrived. I'm sure it's a male, same size as one of the other male. He has 2 white spots on his wings right where they attach to his back. He's pretty shy and I have yet to get a pic of him!!

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    1. Sorry, forgot to say I'm In Indian Head, Saskatchewan

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  16. Look up Leucistic crows.

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    1. not a loss of pigment, just a couple of feathers, on both sides... wings only there are a few photographs of such birds.

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  17. My name is Heidi. Saw 7 of them eating at a dead raccoon in Mobile,Alabama. They were very large birds. So, I thought them to be Ravens.

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  18. Is it possible the birds you saw were Vultures?

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  19. We saw 3 in Ephrata PA USA

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  20. I saw one March 2023 between Houlton and Somerset Wisconsin. He was a big crow. An elder, with white feather mirrored on each lower flank.

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  21. I’ve just seen one in Northern Ireland,goggled and came across this just some white feathers on the wings

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  22. Just spotted one with a white circle on its head in Indiana

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  23. I just heard a huge amount of birds squawking, and looked out front to see about 25 of these crows with white markings fighting over a dead female cardinal that had struck my front window, and I put it into the forest next to us. I'm in NW Arkansas, this is the first time I've seen these birds. I have a bigger family of crows that visit every day into our pastures. This group of crows really surprised me!

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  24. There are two traveling together in Coop City Bronx NY

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  25. I have 15 or so in the pine tree out front of my home Southern Ca Ventura so different

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  26. Wow. I have never heard of so many together.

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  27. I saw one, several times in my garden in Southport, Merseyside, England. A Crow.

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  28. I saw one today in Eureka, CA

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  29. Saw one today in Golden BC and couldn’t believe my eyes. A crow (or raven, it was large) with quite a few white feathers amid its back feathers. I’d post a pic but doesn’t look like I can.

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  30. I saw two babies yesterday. The parents were teaching them pecking on the roof of our garage. They have a little white on their wing until they fly, then you see the white feathers on both wings. Very cool. I am not a bird watcher. I live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada!

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