Interesting Nuthatch Coloration (1 Viewer)

[JoeGBirder]

Yesterday, I was sitting casually, birding, when a small group of White-Breasted Nuthatches (and one drab, light gray-colored bird that I couldn't identify) landed on the oak tree next to my feeder. If I could make a list of the most often seen birds in my backyard, the White-Breasted Nuthatch would certainly make it into the top three. (Black-Capped-Chickadee or Tufted Titmouse may keep it in third place, if I really had a list). So, I clearly wasn't too interested in them. The reason I kept looking at them was that drab-gray bird I saw before. Now, this wasn't a nuthatch I'm sure, maybe a Gnatcatcher or something, but I saw something different about one of the Nuthatches. It's face (the front of it's head) was surrounded with blue. It wasn't a faint plumage change, either, it was a very crystal clear change in color in one area. I looked up to see if this is just part of their plumage, but I couldn't find anything that looked like it, so I assume it was a morph. Has anyone else seen a morph like this? (I live in the New England reigon in the U.S. in case that helps if there is an explaination for it)

 

[Andy Adcock]

The only thing I would point to, is that in winter, small passerine birds will form mixed species flocks so there must be a chance that it wasn't a Nuthatch?

 

[JoeGBirder]

The only thing I would point to, is that in winter, small passerine birds will form mixed species flocks so there must be a chance that it wasn't a Nuthatch?

It had all the same markings as a White-Breasted Nuthatch. The Gray bird may have been something else but the one with the blue face was a morph, i was just wondering if maybe it was a common thing.