Albino Yellow-rumped Warbler seen 17 January 1999 in Bastrop Co., TX





Posting from the TEXBIRDS list:

This morning [17 January 1999] while looking far the Bastrop Co. B. C. Flycatcher and Hairy Woodpeckers (I found neither) I stopped at one location and threw out some Screech Owl tape.  Within minutes a GLEAMING white something flew into the small tree where the recorder was hanging.  It was in fact an albinistic Yellow-rumped Warbler.  The entire bird was pure white with the exception of just slightly darker feather shafts in the retrices & primaries.  The bill, legs and eye all appeared dark. Oddly the yellow rump and the other normal yellow features remained intact and showed up brightly on the bird.  This
trait is normal in birds showing varying degrees of albinism as brown and/or black pigments seem more likely to disappear to be replaced with albinistic white than are red or yellow pigments as I understand it.   BTW per Gross (1965) Am. Robins seem to have the highest incidence of albinism of any other NA species.  My interest in such anomalies is usually almost none or at best
fragmented but I have to confess that this was one stunning bird.

Brush Freeman
Brush@onr.com


Message to Julie Craves on the description of the bird:

It appeared to be a male and at this time of year it would be in basic plumage.  Here is what I saw well enough to describe.
 

  • Entire head including nape and throat solid and clean white.
  • Back white with a very faint "bluish cast."
  • All underparts clean, bright white including vent.
  • Wings white as was tail with the exception of darker feathershafts which did give the wings a bit of a darker hue or with the unaided eye a grayish cast.
  • The rump was bright yellow against all this white.
  • The sides of the breast were yellowish extending downward to the flanks.
  • No streaking in any form was seen on the underparts or anywhere else on the bird.
  • There was some yellow in the crown but I could never get on that well.
  • Given the whiteness of the upper wing no wing barring could be detected.
  • All soft parts including the bill appeared dark (no pinkish or whatever). I could not see the eye well but also appeared dark and was very obvious (the white head dark eye reminded me of a White-headed Woodpecker).

    •  

     

    The bird was seen in morning light 9:05-9:25 Jan 17.  It was in a mixed flock consisting of 11-12 other Yellow-rumpeds, titmice, chickadees, 2 YB Sapsuckers, N. Cardinals, kinglets, gnatcatcher & mockingbird and responded vigorously to an endless loop Screech Owl tape.

    The call note sounded no different that the normal plumaged yellow-rumped. It appeared in good shape and was in fact a stunning little bird as well as a first for me.  I returned this afternoon in an effort to relocate the bird but was unable to.  I was eager to get photos of it as I will not have another opportunity to visit this site again until at least Jan 30 as I will be out of town Jan. 22-26 weekend and work during the week.

    Probable Yellow-rumped "Audubon's" Warbler, in Trinidad, Texas, Dec. 1998

    The warbler I saw in Trinidad, Texas during mid-December almost certainly was an Audubon's Warbler (yellow throat/chin).  The bright yellows were on the top of head, chin, side and rump.  The wings and tail were grey, the rest of the bird appeared to be snow white. I considered hybrid/cross due to the apparent larger size.  The size may have been an optical illusion, since bright white stands out more than the normal grey.

    The bird responded to an Eastern Screech Owl call, came to within 20 yards and stayed in the area long enough for us to determine (sort of) that it was some type of warbler.

    Truman Powell
    trumanp@gower.net

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