Birding/Blonde hen sparrow

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Expert: - 11/13/2003


Question
We have a flock of sparrows around our feeder, and we've observed what we think is a blonde hen house sparrow. She's ginger-coloured, ranging from quite blonde to topaz (our best effort at description) She looks like an ordinary hen, but many shades lighter. Have we discovered something, how often does a sport like that show up, and/or have we misidentified her? That last seems unlikely, as she's always with the sparrow flock.

Answer
It is not uncommon for house sparrows to exhibit what is called incomplete albinism. That is, they are part albino. The dark pigmentation is incomplete, so what you get is a lighter version of normal. This mutation shows up about every 1000 sparrows. By the way, in reference to the fairer sex, the "hen" name is only used in captive or hunting situations - hen pheasant, hen chicken, etc. Wild bird sexes are referred to as male or female. Roger Lederer Please see www.ornithology.com for more information on wild birds.

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Roger Lederer

Expertise

Any and all about WILD birds - the science of ornithology. Information about birdwatching, ecology, conservation, migration, behavior, banding, rehabilitation, feeding, songs, binoculars, identification, and careers in ornithology. No questions about pet or caged birds, please.

Experience

Have a PhD and over forty years as a professional ornithologist - research, teaching, author, speaker, webmaster of Ornithology.com . Have written thirty scientific papers, three bird field guides, a textbook in ecology and two recent books entitled "Amazing Birds" and "Birds of New England". Have traveled to over 90 countries watching birds.

Education/Credentials
PhD in Zoology/Ornithology; Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences; former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at California State University, Chico

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