"Piebald" birds

[Primrose]

By this, I mean birds that have odd white feathers when they're not supposed to have them. Perhaps this isn't the right expression.

Are such birds on the increase? We currently have two such blackbirds visiting our garden on a daily basis, and one member of a group five crows.

Are they like this from birth, or is the growing of white feathers a feature of old age?

I rather like such birds as it makes it so much easier to identify them individually and know what their visiting patterns are.

[PLUMPUDDING]

I think there have always been birds with the odd white feather. When I was small there was a blackbird with a white head that survived for four or five years in our garden. Recently we've had visits from a rook with lots of white feathers and a male greenfinch with one white feather on his head which makes it look rather jaunty.

Like you say it is nice to be able to recognise them when they visit the garden. Chaffinches also seem to have quite variable white bits, some with bolder white stripes on their shoulders than others and we've got one who has a white tipped tail.

[Nature's Babe]

We had a totally white albino pheasant hen down our lane last year, all white is very rare, sadly it makes them more vulnerable to predators, haven't seen it lately.

[alan refail]

Hi Primrose

It's partial albinism - fairly common in birds.

http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/features/mao-jun-01.asp

[Primrose]

We've got a couple of albino badgers in a sett fairly near us. Sadly only get to see them in times of severe drought where they stray further away from home in search of food.