Every time this little leucistic American Goldfinch shows up in my yard, I squeal for joy.
At first I thought it was because he reminds me so much of my pet canary in size and shape.

But now I think it’s because I can ID this bird as an individual.

All winter long, two Downy Woodpeckers have been visiting my suet feeders daily. I can assume they are the same two birds every time, but without banding them I have no idea. Maybe there are 6 Downy Woodpeckers in the neighborhood and a different pair visits the feeders each time.

I love this genetically-different little bird because he’s easy to ID. In fact he’s so white I can spot him when he’s sitting in a 50-foot oak tree in a neighbor’s yard across the street.
When he showed up on a recent day when the temperature overnight was -16 (F) and the daily high didn’t get above zero, I marveled at his individual toughness. I was so happy to know he survived the night!

For three years now, this one little bleached-out goldfinch has survived severe thunderstorms, snowstorms, a drought and brutally-cold temperatures.
I know this for a fact and can cheer for his success.