Have you seen one of these?

This morning started out uneventful. I dropped my son off at a school event and then decided to take advantage of the trade winds by taking a morning stroll with my camera.

It was such a nice day that I  took longer to explore than normal. Yet, I was just about to return home when  I noticed her out of the corner of my eye.

Initially I assumed she was an escaped pet. Still, she is pretty and since I’ve never seen one like her, I was curious. Imagine my surprise when I found:

Abnormal coloration in birds: Melanin reduction « Sibley Guides.

It seems that birds can have decreased melanin causing coloration changes. My bird is likely a Red-crested Cardinal. Read Cardinals not always redbirds | The Columbus Dispatch to see photos of two other birds who have different coloration related to this.

Whether these differences are just a fluke or related to something larger is unclear. Still with humans having more problems with vitamin D deficiency and now birds changing colors due to melanin, it does make one wonder. Could they be related? Will we see an increase in birds of a different color?

Honestly, I do not know, but I do know that differences are okay and evolving is not necessarily a bad thing. Today I’m grateful I saw this bird while I had my camera. I for one will continue to embrace differences. I hope you will too.