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Banding
offers us a rare opportunity to take a close look at some of the
oddities of the bird world. Abnormal pigmentation,
deformities, irregular moulting, and even
hybrids are under normal circumstances
difficult to spot and describe, but having birds in the hand
allows us to document their occurrence and investigate the causes behind
them. On this page we'll feature photos of some of these 'odd
birds', along with commentary on some. We welcome your
input - please e-mail us (oddities@migrationresearch.org) if you have
similar experiences or any comments to share.
Abnormal
pigmentation:
American Robin with partial albinism
(McGill Bird Observatory, Quebec - October 2004)
Photo by
Marcel Gahbauer, September 2004
Hatch-year Baltimore Orioles with
red pigmentation (McGill Bird Observatory, Quebec - August 2006)
Photo by Seabrooke Leckie,
August 2006
Photo by Seabrooke Leckie,
August 2006
Hatch-year male American Redstart
with unusually orange pigmentation (McGill Bird Observatory,
Quebec - August 2006)
Photo by Seabrooke Leckie,
August 2006
Photo by Seabrooke Leckie,
August 2006
Photo by Seabrooke Leckie,
August 2006
Swamp Sparrow with irregular
white rectrices (McGill Bird Observatory, Quebec - September
2005)
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer, September 2005
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer, September 2005
Female House Sparrow with a
single white primary covert (McGill Bird Observatory, Quebec -
April 2006)
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer, April 2006
Ovenbird with irregular white
alula and primary covert (McGill Bird Observatory, Quebec - September
2007)
Photo by Marie-Anne Hudson, September 2007
Common Redpoll with orange cap
(McGill Bird Observatory, Quebec - March 2006)
Photo by
Marcel Gahbauer, March 2006
Lincoln's Sparrow with white
toenails (McGill Bird Observatory, Quebec - September 2006)
Photo by Seabrooke Leckie,
September 2006
Gray Catbird with white toenails
(McGill Bird Observatory, Quebec - September 2006)
Photo by Seabrooke Leckie,
September 2006
Deformities:
Tree Swallow with crossed bill (Hamilton,
Ontario - May 2006)
Photos by Marcel Gahbauer, May 2006
Irregular moulting:
Hatch-year Song Sparrow replacing
primary coverts (McGill Bird Observatory, Montreal QC, August 2006)
This Song Sparrow was banded earlier in August and was
distinctly in juvenile plumage at the time. Upon recapture
on August 25, it was seen to be replacing its primary coverts
sequentially, along with the corresponding primaries. Such
a pattern of feather replacement was believed to occur only
during second and subsequent prebasic
moults, but as this bird has shown, there is still a lot to be
learned about even the most common species.
(Photo by Seabrooke Leckie)
Hatch-year Common Yellowthroat
with some rectrices replaced (McGill Bird Observatory, Quebec -
August 2006)
Photo by Seabrooke Leckie,
August 2006
Hatch-year White-throated Sparrow
with rectrix being replaced (McGill Bird Observatory, Quebec -
September 2006)
Photo by Seabrooke Leckie,
August 2006
Hybrids:
Intergrade Flicker (Yellow-shafted x
Red-shafted) at Pointe-aux-Prairies QC, June 2005
Although reasonably often encountered in the west where the
ranges of the Yellow-shafted and Red-shafted Flicker overlap, seeing an
intergrade individual as far east as Montreal is very unusual.
Note the three distinctly pink-shafted primaries in the first two photos
below, contrasting with the remainder of the yellow-shafted flight
feathers; this pattern was symmetrical. The third photo shows the
tail, with the shaft of r2 on both sides slightly more pink than the
adjacent feathers (the contrast doesn't show up on camera as well as it
did in the field - and is clearly less obvious than that of the wing,
visible in the background of the same photo).
Photos by Gilles Burelle, June 2005
Possible hybrid chickadee (Inglewood Bird
Sanctuary, Calgary AB, July 2007)
This peculiar-looking chickadee appears to be a resident at the
Inglewood Bird Sanctuary in Calgary, first caught during banding
activities in July, and recaptured at least twice more in August and
September. It is speculated to be a hybrid between a Black-capped
Chickadee and either Boreal or Chestnut-backed Chickadee. However,
it is also possible that the brown feathers are just an unusual
occurrence of aberrant plumage. Any thoughts about the identity of
this bird are welcome (oddities@migrationresearch.org).
Photos by Shonna McLeod, July 2007
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