Pale Feathered Crow

Every so often a crow shows up around town with some pale feathers. It’s fun to try and keep track of where they go, as the feathers make them much easier to identify as an individual. A couple of weeks ago I first noticed this crow with pale feathers at Swan Lake. Since that time I think I saw it once at Crescent Harbor as well, but I was not able to get a good enough look to be sure.

One thing that particularly interests me about this crow is that the pale coloring seems to be symmetric (which isn’t usually the case in other birds, crows and otherwise, I’ve noticed feathers deficient pigment). I don’t know what this might say about the cause of the different coloration, perhaps a genetic or developmental effect?

If anyone sees this crow in the coming weeks, or months, I think it would be interesting to make note of it. Please leave a comment with when and where you see it.

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