White-breasted Nuthatch with brown head AND back, Denver City Park

[Patrick O'Driscoll]

Anyone ever encountered this?

I saw the bird Thursday afternoon while collecting a few uncommon birds in Denver City Park during the day-long light snow.

Same size and look as a WBNU, which are common throughout the park. But this one had brown atop the head (not unlike Brown-headed Nuthatch, but that bird is much smaller and, of course, not found outside the Southeast) and a wide strip of the same nut-brownish color down the back.

Regrettably, I'd dropped by the park with only my backup binoculars from the trunk; no camera, no photos.

Some kind of hybrid/variation? Just a fluke of melanin? 

Patrick O'Driscoll

Denver, Denver County

[DAVID A LEATHERMAN]

Not a nuthatch, but a few years ago I was told by a friend about a black-capped chickadee here in Fort Collins with similar brown replacement of black feathers over large areas.

                                                         

Dave Leatherman

Fort Collins

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From: cob...@googlegroups.com <cob...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Patrick O'Driscoll <pato...@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 9, 2019 5:28 PM
To: cob...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [cobirds] White-breasted Nuthatch with brown head AND back, Denver City Park

 

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[Patrick O'Driscoll]

Thanks, David, and yes, a couple of others suggested leucism. I forgot that leucism can include black/dark areas turned brown. I've seen a couple of Cackling Geese with brown heads/necks before. Perhaps that's what I saw.