A RARE GOLDEN SPARROW COMES TO GLOUCESTER!

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

My friend Anita shared these photos of a rarely seen Golden Sparrow.

The beautiful blonde sparrow was feeding with Starlings and House Sparrows. A Golden Sparrow is a leucistic House Sparrow. Albino House Sparrows are even rarer.

A leucistic bird lacks melanin pigment due to the cells responsible for melanin production whereas an albino bird is caused by a genetic mutation causing an absence of tyrosinase in pigment cells.

If you are not sure if you are observing an albino or leucistic bird check the eyes. Albino birds eyes have pink eyes, while the eyes of leucistic birds retain pigment and are dark.

Many thanks to Anita for sharing. If you see the Golden Sparrow at your feeder or in your garden, please write and let us know. Thank you!

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Published by Kimsmithdesigns

Documentary filmmaker, photographer, landscape designer, author, and illustrator. "Beauty on the Wing: Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly" currently airing on PBS. Current film projects include Piping Plovers, Gloucester's Feast of St. Joseph, and Saint Peter's Fiesta. Visit my websites for more information about film and design projects at kimsmithdesigns.com, monarchbutterflyfilm.com, and pipingploverproject.org. Author/illustrator "Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities! Notes from a Gloucester Garden."

10 thoughts on “A RARE GOLDEN SPARROW COMES TO GLOUCESTER!”

      1. Indeed thank you Anita the human spirit and kindness are so needed (refreshing), and they (birds) know where to go and will return to thankful in time of need! Dave 🙂 & Kim 🙂

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