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House Sparrow (mutant)

Passer domesticus

Photo by Ava T-B
Published on Project Noah
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33.1192, -117.086

Field Notes

Description:

This house sparrow had something very strange going on with his tail. has anyone else seen something like this before?

Habitat:

I saw this sparrow at the San Diego Zoo Safari park (formerly Wild Animal Park) but he was a wild sparrow just there to scrounge some lunch.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (15)

Happy World Sparrow Day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Sparrow_Day
yeah,i know the Gaia perspetive and in portugal the clip you talk about it pass in discovery channel,it's a nice exercise to show people that human life in earth is frágil and unnecessairy to nature,i hope we find a way of not destroi the earth as we know it,if we dont beleeve in human kind and there capacity to learn(even forced)whith the errors maked in past,let's keep a litle hope to the younger people that are begining ther's lifes, dont give up the figth:-)
emma, there's a good book called The World Without Us that you might like.
That is exactly what I have been thinking about Antonio. I recently saw a clip on " Earth Without Humans"
I like the Gaian perspective!
I'm still as puzzled asyou may be, Ava. @Antonio that's a rather Gaian perspective.
if you see the things in a more long perspective(1 million years)wildlife wins:-)
auntnance, that's so interesting! It didn't occur to me that it could be developmental rather than genetic. Antonio -- I wash I was as optimistic as you are; I worry that we'll poison the whole planet for all organisms (except maybe cockroaches -- they'll do fine.)
thans Ava, i remark you have a spectacular envolvement whith your comunity,helping minorate part the problems that we human societis had creat along the centurys,talking about the human neuter:-)it's another thingh,there are places,countrys,intire continents:-) where even contraception is forbithen,they never understand that,in near future i see the problem grow bigger,i'am naturely optimist but in concern to man kind and preservation of earth,i'am pessimist in short and mediun time(?)in the long future, whith or whitouth us the wildlife will continue to dominate all the earth,
The anomaly in the tail feathers may be a result of an illness during a molt. The foot: It appears there is a bit of string-like material wrapped around the leg. (I've seen it before when a bird gets tethered by a piece of ill-chosen nesting material).
Antonio -- you and your wife are such sweet people to take in and neuter (castrate) all those cats. I have one neutered house cat and three feral cats that I have trapped and neutered who live outside. It is so important to neuter all our animals so they don't reproduce and put more pressure on wild animals. Of course, humans should get themselves neutered before they reproduce and stop putting pressure on the natural world!
so the guy is in good hands:-)the cats are a small problem in citys but began to bee a relative mediun problem when we go to the interior of the country,every bird floor nidification is at there range(easely)and even in trees they can go every were,it's necessairy to controle(castration)the cat population so the wild life can continue well.my cats(9)are all castrated,males and females and are abandonated cats that apear in my street and my wife and mine soft's heart's make the numbers go to 9,and some times more:-) and 2 dogs
I'd never noticed his foot before Antonio, thanks. I think he could live to adulthood because he was wild, but living in a zoo where he was being fed by people like me having their lunch and giving him crumbs, and where, presumably, there were no predators like cats.
no i never see a thing like that and the rigth leg it seems afected too,i see a lot of house sparrows,some of them infortenly dead by the cats,i observ allways and never se a mal formation of feaders,normaly a thingh like that is impeditive of good fligth and it's strang he survive suficient time to grow to adult,or almost,bizarre
I'm curious if anyone has seen a mutation like this sparrow's tail?
Photographed
PublishedAugust 28, 2011

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