View Messages

Return to General/Other

Female House Sparrow with White wings

[Post a Follow Up] [Post to this category]
From: Ruby N/A City: Bloomfield, NJ
We have quite of the house sparrows in the neighborhood - I love them! We have had a female for a few years now that has white wing tips or mor than the tips. When she flies, you see the white fluttering wings. She now has offspring with the same markings, not as prominent as hers. Is this unusual as I have not seen this in any other house sparrow?
	Extension Message From: Laura Kammin Visiting Extension Specialist, Pollution Prevention Extension-Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program lkammin@illinois.edu
It sounds like this bird is a partial albino. Sometimes when a bird's skin tissue is injured the new feathers grow in white rather than the normal coloration. However, since her offspring also show the trait, it is more likely that in this case it is genetics at play. Partial albinos have mostly normal coloration with irregular patches of pure white feathers.
From: Susan Nichols City: Cleveland, OH
We saw a sparrow exactly like that in our yard today. I've never seen one like it before. We did have a white Titmouse that stayed for several months last spring.
From: Cera Berube City: Chesterfield, MI
I just seen a young sparrow with white tipped wings and a white tail in Southeastern MI. It's resting under mushrooms in the courtyard here at work. It's beautiful.
[Post a Follow Up] [Post to this category]