From time to time we all see things that cause us to say, "What?" Lest you think that you are the only person ever to see one of these apparitions, I have set up this page to show some of the more often-seen bizzar-os. Wherever I can, I try to demystify the sighting so that you can sleep at night.

Hybrids

    Hybrid Mallards constantly cause confusion. Mallards breed with other species of ducks, notably black ducks, but also pintails and even green-winged teal. The resulting plumages are sometimes subtly different from a pure-bred plumage. The duck on the left looks at first like a black duck, but note the green tones in the head - no true black duck would have these green tones. The two on the right are simply "mutts" - farm ducks that have been cross-bred so often that their lineage is at best obscure. Hybrids are often noticeably larger or smaller than pure-bred birds.

Albinism

Albinism is quite common in birds. In some birds, the albinism is total, while in others it is partial. Partial albinism is more common, and may affect only a small part of a bird.

    These two birds show partial albinism. On the left is a white-throated sparrow. At first glance the albinism isn't that obvious, but note the white outer tail feathers, very large area of white on the throat, and very white flanks. The bird on the right is a dark-eyed junco. The whitish patch on the face is not normal. It is possible that some albinism may be the result of disease or parasite infestation, but most is genetic.

  This American robin shows striking albinism of the breast feathers. Curiously, the rest of the bird appears blacker than normal - a condition called melanism.

All sorts of birds can be affected by albinism. This Atlantic puffin is a true rarity. Albinism may be detrimental to birds because it may make them more susceptible to predators, and may affect their ability to participate socially with other birds of their species. Photo © Pierre Ryan

Escaped Exotics

Birds are popular pets, and from time to time one will escape from its owner. In some parts of the world these birds can actually survive in the wild. This is a photo of a Yellow-headed Amazon, a type of parrot normally found in Brazil. This one was photographed on Toronto Street in St. John's Newfoundland on July 1, 1999! It had escaped while its cage was being cleaned. Amazingly, it returned to its owners after the weather got cold. 

Banded Birds

This photo tells a story. The wing is that of a dead "pigeon", either a rock dove or a stock dove, we weren't able to be sure which. The book is "Birds of Europe", and in the fold of the book can be seen two yellow leg bands. This dead bird was found on Bellevue Beach, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland in the summer of 2000. From the bands, it was determined that it was a racing pigeon that had been released in Portugal several months earlier, and had lost its way. The same year another Portuguese racing pigeon also showed up in Newfoundland.