At that moment, the woman felt extremely grateful to have set up the bird feeder and having witnessed a rare bird.
There is so much wonder out in the world, and Amanda Refalo got to witness it on an ordinary workday. Refalo had installed a bird feeder outside her home in Connecticut to help out the local birds and also offer a diversion for her pet cats while she works. She did not expect to catch sight of a rare bird, one in 30,000, perched right in her yard to eat from the feeder she had set up, as reported by The Dodo.
Refalo was working from home on a random weekday while her cats were busy eyeing the birds flocking to her bird feeder loaded with seeds and suet. “I leave bird seed and suet out year-round for my cats to watch while I work from home,” she told the outlet. As she averted her eyes from her work and looked out of the window, Refalo was captivated by the sight of a beautiful white bird at her feeder. It was unlike any other bird she had seen before. “I usually see lots of woodpeckers, cat birds, mourning doves, male and female cardinals, blue jays, finches, and occasionally a bright yellow finch,” Refalo added.
She was clueless about the bird’s species and researched it on Google. Three days later, Refalo still had no idea or information about the white bird. All of its body and beak were white, unusual for a bird. “I was working and I looked out my window and saw an all-white bird. I took a photo and thought nothing of it. It wasn’t until the third day in a row and unsuccessful Google searches that I posted it to my personal Facebook and asked friends if they knew what kind of bird it was.” Unfortunately, even her friends were unversed in the extraordinary bird’s lineage. Milan Bull, the senior director of science and conservation at The Connecticut Audubon Society, came to the rescue and shared his knowledge of the avian wonder.
He revealed, considering the bird’s size and activity, that it was a leucistic downy woodpecker. Much like albinism in humans, leucism in birds causes a lack of normal pigmentation. “Leucism is a rare genetic mutation that causes part or all of the bird’s feathers to lack normal pigment,” Bull explained. It does not affect their health or behavior, but their distinct appearance attracts attention from predators and makes it difficult to find a mate. The bird seemed indifferent, rather “casual” while pecking on the seeds in the feeder. “She wasn’t scared of passing cars. [She was] taking turns on the feeder and flying to the wooden telephone pole and then coming back when it was free,” Refalo recalled.
At the time, she did not realize the rarity of the moment. However, not all leucistic birds are pure white, some may appear frozen or blotchy. “Leucistic birds range from being pure white to washed out and blotchy, to just having a few white feathers, or to looking slightly frosted in appearance.” Refalo should consider herself lucky, as the chances of a bird showing leucistic tendencies are one in 30,000, the expert said. Speaking of the rare bird, Bull noted, “If you have a leucistic bird around, you’re lucky.” He adds that it is likely the bird will return to Refalo’s yard since woodpeckers do not migrate.
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