Early summer is a time for newly fledged birds to wander out into the world. Bird parents have introduced their young to our feeder, which hangs high up on an apartment building. Dark-eyed Juncos parents plop their fledglings below the feeder on the overhang, and they sit there watching the world go by with curious eyes. House Finches bring their young, but I can only distinguish them from the adults by their incessant chirping and wing flaps begging for food (mind you, seed is pouring from the feeder and readily available, but these young want to be fed sustenance directly from their parents).

My favorite are the Lesser Goldfinches staying close to their parents, letting out a two-note call demanding to be fed. One day, my husband called from the kitchen, “There’s a white finch!” I ran to the window and indeed a young leucistic, beeping Lesser Goldfinch was there sporting only white feathers where there should be black. It looked like a pet canary, but I knew it was a goldfinch based on its call and being fed by adult goldfinches.

As the days wore on, I watched this bird come and go at the feeder. Sometimes it sits in the plate rather than perch itself on the side, like a puppy sitting in its bowl of food. It’s less afraid than the other birds. I can slowly walk to the window and sit near it without it being startled. It shines so bright as compared to the other goldfinches that it’s almost blinding.

I’ve named it Lewey due to its leucistic coloring. For more information on pigmentation variations, check out “What Can Cause Birds To Show Weird Color Variation?” on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website.