Bird like a blackbird but not a blackbird!? (1 Viewer)

Hi, this is my first visit here and I have come straight in with a question!

A bird has taken to visiting nearby our house in the last few days. We live in East Central Scotland on the outskirts of a city. Built up but very near rural land.
The bird is the size and look of a male blackbird. In fact it looks exactly like a male blackbird except that it has a streak of pure white along each wing. At first when my husband pointed it out I was a bit scathing and said it was a magpie but then felt rather foolish when I looked again! It hasn't been close enough for long enough for me to photograph it.
I have looked online and in books and cannot find a bird that matches it's description. I have suggested that it may indeed be a blackbird but with a mutation (for want of a better word) Any ideas anyone?

hippy

hippy said:

I have suggested that it may indeed be a blackbird but with a mutation (for want of a better word) Any ideas anyone?

Click to expand...

That's what it sounds like from your description. If you search Bird Forum for "leucistic" or "partial albino" you'll get lots of hits dealing with plumage abnormalities of the kind you describe which are occasionally seen in many species of birds, not just blackbirds.

And, although I can't scientifically document this, in my life I've seen more of the thrushes (Turdidae, the family of birds that includes your blackbird) with some degree of leucisism than any other goup of birds.

Hi,
thanks for that

I looked up images of leucistic blackbirds and I am certain that is what I saw.

Hippy

These non black blackbirds can throw up some wonderful pumage patterns, and are so common we should probably rename the species the Nearly Always Black Bird, (Except for females, juveniles and leucistic mutants). for political correctness.

hippy said:

[...]
The bird is the size and look of a male blackbird. In fact it looks exactly like a male blackbird except that it has a streak of pure white along each wing. [...]
hippy

Click to expand...

Did you have a look at the male Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis)?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Copsychus_saularis_-_Ang_Khang.jpg
Just in case.......

I can see the similarity but it definately had a yellow/orange beak.

Hippy