The images above are of Varied thrushes.  The first image is of a ‘normal’ male Varied thrush that was photographed in an apple tree just outside of Washington Park, Fidalgo Island, Skagit County, Washington.

The second two images are of a leucistic Varied thrush photographed less than half a mile from the first bird.  The term leucistic refers to an abnormality in the bird’s DNA that causes its feathers to lack pigmentation.  In this case this bird’s head is white and there is some while that appears on the bird’s sides, something completely absent in a normal Varied thrush.  I think I can safely say that there has never been another bird like this and there will never be another.  Because leucitism is a defect in the bird’s DNA, each case is different.

Unfortunately these birds often don’t live into adulthood.  Their white coloration makes them stand out and an easier prey for predators such as owls and accipiters, both of which live in Washington Park.

The Varied thrush generally spends summers in the higher elevations or at northern latitudes for breeding, but in the winter the birds often come down from the mountains or migrate south for more dependable food supplies.  As thrushes they normally eat insects and berries, but when snow covers the ground I have found they will eat sunflower seeds sprinkled on the ground for other birds.

This bird was first spotted in early November by an early Park walker who informed me of the sighting.  After several tries I managed to obtain these photographs.  To my knowledge no one saw the bird between about Thanksgiving until Thu, 11/29/2012, but I received a report on this date from my spotting network that the bird was again seen this morning.

As soon as weather permits I’ll be out again trying for better photos!