Posted on 02/26/2018 7:38:58 AM PST by blam
Birders and biologists are reportedly heading to Alabama after pictures of a yellow cardinal started to circulate online, AL.com reported.
Geoffrey Hill, a biology professor at Auburn, told the website that the cardinal in photos appears to be a male and carries a genetic mutation, hence the bright yellow plumage. The bird was first spotted in January.
"I've been birdwatching in the range of cardinals for 40 years and I've never seen a yellow bird in the wild," Hill, who is on sabbatical in Australia, told AL.com via email. "I would estimate that in any given year there are two or three yellow cardinals at backyard feeding stations somewhere in the U.S. or Canada. There are probably a million bird feeding stations in that area so very, very roughly, yellow cardinals are a one in a million mutation."
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Supich in Chicago?
Such a genetic anomaly is the sort of change that can eventually result in a new species.
“Well, damn. KILL IT. Then they can ‘study’ it further, easier”
AKA the John Audubon method.
I know where you can find plenty of yellow Cardinals.
In the Vatican. (Yes, Pope Francis. Whatever you say, Pope Francis...)
If I had seen that yellow cardinal around here, I would have thought that goldfinch kind of looks like a cardinal and then gone about my business. I doubt I would have paid any further attention to it.
*BIRDIE BUMP*
Great find, Blam!
“It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, temperate shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, and temperate grassland. It is threatened by habitat loss and from pet trade trappers.[3]”
And it tastes like chicken.
I've had thousands of those around my house and in the nearby fields for the last two weeks.
BTW, Those robins are closely related to the Blue birds. It's the time of year for the male bluebirds to be out scouting for nest sites. I've seen them out and about already too.
Thanks. I thought I was wrong but I could not find a Yellow Hammer Woodpecker during three different searches....so, I assumed I was wrong. That happens sometimes when you get this old.
Okay, here....I found one.
.
Uh oh!
Rare endangered species!
Must euthanize all white people in Alabama!
.
Yes, we will be on the ATV soon, making the rounds and cleaning out all of our Bluebird houses! :)
I raised a baby Robin as a kid; found it in our window well and Mom let me keep it. We called the Zoo and they told us to feed it meat baby food that had been thinned with a little water. And Marvin ate - about every two minutes!
I managed to raise him to maturity (good training for my later, ‘Chicken Lady Days’) and he would ride around on my bike handlebars with me.
Of course, it was fleeting...as soon as he saw a Lady Robin all bets were off, LOL!
Now, every spring, Mom and I call one another when we spot the first Robin and say, “Marvin’s Back!” :)
This made my day.
I’ll let you know when I first see ‘Marvin’ this upcoming Spring! :)
Please....they prefer to be called Lutinos.
Robins are thrushes.
That’s a Red-Shafted Flicker. You want the Yellow-Shafted.
Last Friday my friend and I were at a restaurant between Fort
Atkinson and Jefferson, called River’s Edge, sitting at a table on a slanted floor of the very old building looking out at the river. A big fat robin was sitting on the branch right in front of our view. It was awfully nice to see him.
I think spring must be on the way. It’s beautifully warm today and the geese are flocking and honking!
Fantastic news! I have seen a few ‘v’ of geese, too!
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