Leucism

Leucistic White-breasted Nuthatch

The Nuthatch is a common bird around our backyard feeders, chowing down on sunflower seeds and peanuts in my yard, beating the seeds on a tree branch to break them open. It lives in North America all year. Its familiar call of "ank-ank" alerts you to its presence. The other day this unusual looking Nuthatch arrived in my yard.

Leucism is an abnormal condition of reduced pigmentation affecting various animals (such as birds, mammals, and reptiles) that is marked by overall pale color or patches of reduced coloring and is caused by a genetic mutation which inhibits melanin and other pigments from being deposited in feathers, hair, or skin. The first known use of this word was in 1878. I once saw a Canada Goose with a beige neck at the Falls of the Ohio. 

The condition doesn't seem to affect their life in any other way. They have mates and raise babies just like any other bird, as far as I know.I wonder if it is caused/related to some chemical thing humans have done to the earth.

Leucistic female Cardinal

However, I wonder if this is a new condition, or if I am only more aware of it since I am a birder now. Many people have submitted photos of leucistic birds to the Kentucky Birders group.

Grace- Leucistic Red-tailed Hawk

Grace at Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky, is a leucistic Red-tailed Hawk who came for rehabilitation after a severe case of lead poisoning. She lived out by Jefferson Memorial Forest in southern Jefferson County for at least 15 years we believed, since some friends of our director had been watching her. She had a mate and raised chicks every year. Her eyes and beak are dark, and she has four little brown feathers on the back of her head. All other feathers and her feet are white. If she were albino, everything would be white and she'd have pink eyes. After her lead poisoning treatment, she could have been released, but due to her age and arthritic condition, we decided to keep her as an education bird. She seemed quite content with not having to find her own food anymore.