A new kind of snowbird?

Publié lemars 26, 2026parHazel Wheeler|La pie-grièche migratrice de l'Est, La pie-grièche migratrice de l'Est, Rétablissement de la pie-grièche migratrice de l'Est, Actualités et événementsPhoto by Taylor Higgins.

Qu'est-ce que le Programme de rétablissement de la pie-grièche migratrice de l'Est? Après une chute précipitée de la population sauvage de pie-grièche migratrice de l'Est dans les années 1990, Environnement Canada a invité Conservation de la faune au Canada à se joindre à l'effort de rétablissement multi-partenaires en 2001. Depuis, la taille de la population sauvage a fluctué. Des études ont montré que bien que l'effort de rétablissement ait empêché l'espèce de disparaître du Canada, plus de travail est nécessaire pour identifier et aborder les causes du déclin de l'espèce. CFC travaille pour empêcher la pie-grièche migratrice de l'Est de disparaître en renforçant la population sauvage en Ontario, et en étudiant l'espèce pour en apprendre davantage sur les menaces qu'elle fait face.

There are plenty of birds whose white plumage helps them blend in with their snowy surroundings: snowy owls, tundra swans, snow buntings… and loggerhead shrikes?

Last year we were sent a striking picture: a completely white loggerhead shrike against a backdrop of sagebrush in Sweetwater County, Wyoming (courtesy of Taylor Higgins). Of course this plumage doesn’t help the shrike blend in—in fact it sticks out quite dramatically—but unlike the other birds that inhabit snowy landscapes to which their plumage is perfectly adapted, this tundra shrike’s colouring comes from an atypical lack of pigment.

There are two possible causes for this: albinism and leucism. Albinism arises from a genetic mutation that prevents an animal from creating the pigment melanin. In birds, this is the pigment that produces earth tones: grays, blacks, browns, and buffy colours. Birds do have other pigments, so it is possible for an albino bird to have other colours (yellows, oranges, reds, and some blues and greens), though typically albino birds are completely white.

A completely white grackle perched on the edge of a concrete porch, partially behind a green shrub.

Albino grackle in Peterborough, Ontario. Photo by Slepkov

A leucistic bird, on the other hand, can make all the pigments that would lead to the typical colouration, but there is some disruption in how the pigments are deposited. This can lead to birds that could have some colour, but appear faded or washed out. You may also encounter partially leucistic birds that have some normal colouration, but with white or faded patches in their plumage. On the flip-side, there are also melanistic birds and animals that overproduce melanin, leading to them having darker colouration (Fun fact: did you know that black squirrels are just melanistic eastern gray squirrels? The black squirrels may have become more common in Canada because they have better cold tolerance than their gray counterparts!)

A common redpoll perches on the edge of an object. The bird has a red topped head, mostly white body with brown speckles.

Partially-leucistic common redpoll. Photo by USFWS.

A completely black mallard stands in shallow water alongside 8 little ducklings, also mostly black with some yellow markings.

Melanistic mallard female and ducklings. Photo LittleLeafSheep.

The key to differentiating albinism and leucism is in the eyes. Albino birds (and other animals) will have a red eye, with the colour coming from the blood vessels within rather than any pigments, whereas leucistic birds will have an eye colour typical for their species.

A completely white shrike perched on a shrub. The entire photo looks almost greyscale.

Loggerhead shrike. Photo Taylor Higgins.

Is this an albino or a leucistic shrike then? It’s hard to tell from this picture, but zooming in the eye does appear to be dark which points to leucism.

Regardless of the cause, this is doubtless a special sight to see; there is something about these animals that captures the attention. Any wildlife sighting can help connect us to nature, but catching a glimpse of something rare like this really brings to light the surprising variety and complexity of the world around us. This is a complexity worth protecting.

Hazel Wheeler

Directeur des programmes de conservation

Hazel has been with Wildlife Preservation Canada since 2013, starting as a contract biologist with the Loggerhead Shrike Recovery Program before stepping in to the role of Lead Biologist. After a decade of shrike, they moved in to the role of Conservation Programs Director, where they oversee all of our recovery programs. Hazel has been working with species-at-risk since the mid-2000s, and has a Master’s degree from Trent University, where they studied the habitat preferences of chimney swifts in Ontario.