Since I published the article below, I have received some feedback that
suggests the white feathers may be fairly common variations and play a part
in courtship.  Here are two items from an email from a friend and expert
ornithologist:

"A conservative hypothesis would be that the bird you photographed is within
the range of normal variation for the species."    

"In an authoritative book "The Herons Handbook", published in 1984 by Harper
& Roe, New York, James Hancock and James Kushlan in a summary statement
about American Bittern wrote on page 268 "A peculiar feature of this, as of
other bitterns, is a tuft of white feathers on the side of the upper breast,
normally concealed by the scapulars and the 'shoulder' or carpal joint of
the closed wing. It is highly conspicuous when fanned out in display." 

 

Jim Block

 

From: Upper Valley Birders [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Jim Block
Sent: Sunday, May 01, 2016 2:45 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [UVB] Leucistic American Bittern in Lyme

 

Friday morning I photographed a very cooperative leucistic American Bittern.
I think its abnormal coloring (or lack of it) made it a strikingly beautiful
bird. You can see photos and read about this encounter and a similar (or the
same?) bird crossing the road in the same spot 8 years earlier here:
http://www.jimblockphoto.com/2016/05/leucistic-bittern/  

 

Jim Block

Etna, NH

 

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