Unusual Evening Grosbeak Visits Ontario Feeders

One of these birds is not like the others! See if you can spot the unique individual as a flock of Evening Grosbeaks descend on the Ontario FeederWatch Cam.

As the birds congregate, one unusually pale female sticks out from the crowd. What’s causing this bird to have a faded look? It has to do with how melanin is deposited within the feathers. Normal looking birds produce two types of melanin: one is responsible for black/gray pigments (eumelanin) and the other for warm brown/buff pigments (phaeomelanin). Rare conditions can cause abnormalities in melanin deposition of one or both pigment types in feathers, resulting in pale or unusual plumages. These conditions are different than those which cause albino individuals, who are unable to produce any melanin at all.

Learn about other abnormal variations of “Unusual Birds” in this article from Project FeederWatch.