[EBB Sightings] Yellow House Finch in S.F.

I once phoned an ornithologist, Steven Bailey, at Cal Academy to ask  
the same question - why the yellow Finch?

He said it had to do with diet. Can't remember the particulars but  
foods eaten can affect coloring.
Not results of genetics or hybridization. Bird is perfectly healthy.

On Jun 10, 2009, at 12:00 PM, sightings-request at diabloaudubon.com wrote:

>>
> Message: 7
> Date: Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:13:59 -0700
> From: "Bob Hislop" 
> Subject: [EBB Sightings] Yellow Variant House Finch?
> To: 
> Message-ID: 
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> 	reply-type=original
> Just observing our daily mix of backyard birds and I noticed what  
> looked
> like a yellow male House Finch foraging among its red cousins.  I'm  
> not 100%
> positive on this so I was wondering if anyone else has recorded  
> this variant
> in the east bay?  (I didn't get a very long observation time as the
> neighborhood feral cat came wandering through on its daily rounds.)
> Bob Hislop
> Walnut Creek