Orange Blackbird?

hobble · #1 (**permalink**) 22-01-2010, 03:31 PM

My friend's sent me these pictures of a Blackbird and were sure it is orange.
Myself I think it is a pale female Blackbird.
Am I right? Or is it orange?

Thanks.

big bill · #2 (**permalink**) 22-01-2010, 03:44 PM

Hello Hobble looking at the pics and judging by the amount of light it was quite late in the day so light was low but it looks like a female blackbird of normal plummage light coloured

aeshna5 · #3 (**permalink**) 22-01-2010, 04:10 PM

Definitely a female Blackbird; possibly showing some leucism unless the colour is a trick of the light conditions.

Connor7 · #4 (**permalink**) 22-01-2010, 05:01 PM

I think the orange beak and shape gives it away as a blackbird. I think its more to do with the light (or absense of it!) that gave it that orangey/ light brown tan

Picidae · #5 (**permalink**) 22-01-2010, 05:09 PM

Female Blackbirds can look very 'orangey' during the winter, some having an almost reddy/rufous breast - like one in my garden recently!

hobble · #6 (**permalink**) 22-01-2010, 06:43 PM

Thanks everyone. That is what I thought, I will let them know your expert ID's!!

RoyW · #7 (**permalink**) 22-01-2010, 06:52 PM

Looks orangey to me!

Female Blackbirds are very variable, and some can look very orange at times (even without the strange effect on colour that you can get from some digital photos).
I would say that this individual is definitely unusual though, and it certainly seems to be exhibiting some form of leucism. This is most obvious when you look at the wings in the first photo - 'normal' Blackbirds don't have pale, whitish wings.

Roy.

fluff11 · #8 (**permalink**) 24-01-2010, 02:27 PM

Its a cinnamon hen blackbird. On closer inspection you would find that it will have a ruby coloured eye as well. Many mutations of blackbirds are bred in captivity and this maybe either an escapee or a genuine wild variant.

Connor7 · #9 (**permalink**) 25-01-2010, 03:23 PM

Be nice to see more and bigger pictures, is it a regular visitor to your freind's garden?

trethevy · #10 (**permalink**) 25-01-2010, 05:33 PM

Oh gosh.. what a response! Thanks for the information so far. My wife and I took the pictures. This bird has been teasing us for months allowing us to just catching a glimpse from time to time. The recent snow, plus some bird food tempted it down into the garden when we got the pictures.

It's really quite orange ( or even ginger) in real life. It's behaviour is that of a blackbird, hopping around the garden and turning over leaves, but my guess is that's its actually an oddly coloured male, as the other alpha male blackbird around always chases it out of the garden as soon he spots it. The female blackbird shows it less interest, but will try to move it on from time to time.

I've learnt from the postings, and a quick search on google, about leucism. Thank you. So, my current theory is a male blackbird with leucism.

We've got a few more photos, I think the best have been posted, but I'll double check. They were taken in bright sunlight, by the way, in the middle of the day, but with a 6x optical zoom through glass.

Thanks for all your interest!