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Accumulative Sightings of "White", Partial Albino,
Albino and Leukistic Raptors and Other Animals!
Put mouse on pics for credit and info.
Get ready for a SPECIAL treat! A HUGE, SPECIAL, THANK YOU
goes out to Dr. Ruth Boll, DVM for these pics. She is a
veterinary advisor for a licensed rehabilitator, Melody
Olaker, but doesn't currently hold a license until she gets
a rehab facility for herself. She is a 'relief' veterinarian
and substitute for other veterinarians when they are out of
the office for vacation or continuing education.
The first hawk was treated at Guardian Animal Hospital in
Ashland, Ky. Dr. MJ Wixsom (a friend and colleague) was the
vet of record on this one. Ruth was subbing for her for a
week when she took the pictures.
The second, darker hawk was taken in by Melody Olaker, a re-
habilitator in Lucasville, Ohio. She treated it initially
until Ruth could take its care on. Currently, it is being
hospitalized at Guardian Animal Hospital for Ruth until its
antibiotic course is completed.
The first hawk was shot (not the first time it was as there
were previous wounds) and the other was brought in with
minor injuries. The gunshot victim was released in the
spring of 2002 in Ashland, Kentucky and the other one with
the minor injuries will be released this weekend (around
March 13, 2004). For more info place your mouse on each pic.
Even though these are both called "partial albinos", neither
really is albino. They are actually "white" red-tails. Also
notice the differences between the two. One has a pale beak
and talons while the darker one has a dark beak and dark
talons. Notice the missing Patagial Marks in the darker
bird while it is being held up with the wings open!
Ruth......you're my new BEST FRIEND and thanks
again!
These sightings are listed in chronological order:
So. Goliad County Texas - first seen 11-11-98, last seen 2-11-00
These are the markings:
1. 90% white overall - head and chest snow white
2. Eyes black, beak black, legs yellow
3. Top of tail is rufous and white, probably 2/3 of tail feathers
are rufous and the other 1/3 are white.
4. Top of wings are white and have dark streaks at elbow.
5. I never got an under view of the wings. *added- under wings
mirror above, dark streaks at carpal bend and extending to outer
primary flight feathers. Under tail is dark, but is probably
rufous with better light. Here are pics of that bird:
White red-tail hawk spotted in Core, WV; email arrived
11/22/02 from Kimberly C. Thomas
White red-tail hawk spotted in Athens, TX; email arrived
12/08/02 from Kelly Ireland.
White red-tail hawk spotted in Spartanburg, SC; email arrived
03/08/03 from Tim Trott.
White red-tail hawk spotted in Lucasville, OH; email arrived
01/13/04 from Randy Rucker. This bird is a female and raised
two normal colored young last year.
White red-tail hawk spotted in Lee Co. Alabama; email arrived
03/05/04 from Dale Jackson.
White red-tail hawk spotted in Montrose, PA; email arrived on
04/20/04 from Hilary-Caws Elwitt.
White red-tail hawk spotted in the Triad Area of NC; email
arrived on 04/27/04 from Fred Fogg.
White red-tail hawk spotted in Sheboygan, WI; email arrived
on 07/14/04 from Sue Behr. Sue noted the hawk was solid white
with NO other coloring what so ever and it may have had pink
eyes but it was flying away too fast for a hard look at the
eyes.
White red-tail hawk spotted in Westminster, CO; email arrived
on 09/01/04 from Donna Nespoli. Here is what she wrote about
the bird: We have had a white Red-Tail with a full red tail
(Everything else is white and his beak and legs are yellow)
living here for years. He has even been in the newspaper! The
first time I saw it I was working on a prairie dog relocation
next to the Westminster Rec Center. He is a regular hunter at
this particular p-dog colony, and his mate is normal color.
Glad to see your site!
White red-tail(?) spotted in Monroe, MI; email arrived on
09/07/04 from Andrew Sturgess. He noted that they couldn't
positively identify it but it was a hawk by size and had
yellow feet. It was originally sitting on a pole and then
flew directly overhead. Here is a pic of it:
White red-tail spotted in Knox, NY; email arrived on 09/14/04
with the sighting taking place on 09/09/04 from Tim Sweeney.
A cream colored, melanistic red-tail hawk was spotted in
Charleston, WV on 09/23/04. The email arrived on 10/14/04.
Lori and her husband were driving through there when they
seen it. Lori's email: conchhorn@bardstown.com
White red-tail spotted in Fishers, NY; email arrived about
10/14/04 from Pat Deuel who works for Pooler Enterprises.
Pics below were taken by Betty Beckham who is the mother of
one of the employees at Pooler Enterprises. Pat's email:
pdeuel@poolerenterprises.com
White red-tail spotted in Drexel, MI; email arrived on
10/22/04 from David Phillips. The hawk has been near his
parents home for the past 2 years. Here is a pic of it in
flight. David's email: david@raccoon.com
White red-tail spotted in Catalina State Park in Tucson, AZ.
Email arrived 01/07/06 from Scott Soyer in Oro Valley, AZ who
sent the following email: White Red-tail hawk spotted
01/07/06 over Catalina State Park near northern Tucson, AZ.
Spent several minutes over the valley and met with another
red colored red-tail hawk, they circled together several
times and separated and then the albino departed east over
the mountains. It may return, I hope to get some pictures
with zoom next time.
White red-tail spotted in Sanford, FL in the Wekiva National
Park at 7:15 a.m. on 01/15/06 by Wanda Rublee. Here is what
she wrote: Hi Mr. Horvath: We have recently moved into a new
housing development which only has about 8 residents at this
time and since we are on the edge of the Wekiva National Park
we have expected to see the Florida black bear and panther.
The bear shows up in our yard every night at nine p.m. This
morning January 15, 2006, at 7:15 a.m. in Wekiva Park we saw
an Albino or White Raptor sail out of the old oak trees to
the ground to feed on something and the whiteness and wing
span was awesome. Having no camera handy we did not get a
picture. But the thrill of seeing such a rare bird was tre-
mendous. Wanda Rublee, Wekiva Park, Sanford, Florida 32771.
Partial albino red-tail hawk first spotted in Ohio on
02/24/07. The hawk has stayed in the same area and has been
spotted by Ron Warner on a daily basis. Chances are good that
it may stay and take a mate! Here are two pics that he took
of the gorgous bird:
Additional pics that Ron took which I received on 03/19/11:
04/07/07- Another partial albino red-tail hawk has been spot-
ted by Linda Muller in rappahannock County, VA. Here is what
she wrote to me:
We spotted an albino red tail hawk off of Route 211 (west) on
our way to Amissville Virginia in Rappahannock County VA. We
were driving W. on Route 211 just out of Warrenton VA when we
noticed a white bird perching on a branch just off the road.
It was so unusual we turned around and passed the spot again.
We knew it looked like a hawk but were taken back by its pure
white color. Our brother-in-law is a former falconer and he
told us that it could be an albino red-tail hawk. After view-
ing your pictures- there is no doubt it is an albino red tail.
We hope to get some photos in the near future. Thanks for your
site.
Summer 2007 - Here is what Jim Burnham wrote:
"I enjoyed reading your articles on albino raptor sightings.
Surely it is such a rare and memorable occurence to cross
paths with an albino or partial albino creature of any sort.
I am lucky enough to be one of those individuals to see a
partial albino red-tailed hawk in the wild. During the sum-
mer of 2007, I was home from college and staying on my fam-
ily's farm in central Connecticut. I wasn't working at the
time so I spent a lot of my time hiking the surrounding farm
land, looking for wildlife. Around 11:00 am one morning I was
walking in the back yard when I spotted a large white bird
perched 75 ft atop a huge Black Locust tree. Before I could
get a good look at the bird, it swooped off it's perch into a
nearby field. I ran into the house and yelled at my brother,
screaming about snowy owls and mystical birds. He quickly
followed me outside and down a path towards the meadow in
which I had last seen the bird flying. Looking to the sky, I
panted and swore to my skeptical brother about the amazing
creature I had just seen. Then, by some sort of miracle, the
beautiful white bird flew directly overhead, through several
large pine trees, and again dissapeared in the landscape. Did
you see it? I told you I wasn't crazy! That was f#@%ing awe-
some, I yelled at him. He shared my excitement, but with a
little more conservancy. At the time I still had no clue what
it might have been.
After doing a bit of research online, I came to the conclus-
ion that it must have been a partial albino RT hawk. After
the original sighting I spotted the bird soaring very high in
the sky on 2 additional occassions. The nesting sight must
have been in the area, however I was never able to locate it.
I moved away after school and haven't seen the hawk since al-
though I have since become very interested in raptors and
falconry. If my albino RT hawk is still around, I think I'll
be the first to see her. It was a very memorable experience
for me, one that I will never forget".
06/23/07 - White red-tail spotted in Westminster, CO. Email
and pic arrived today from Allen Whiteman (awhiteman@sco.edu)
which could possible be the same one spotted on 09/01/04 from
Donna Nespoli who is listed above. Here are two pics that
Allen took of the gorgous bird:
09/24/07 - White red-tail spotted on Highway 69 between Point
and Lone Oak, TX. It was near the Rains and Hunt county line.
Spotted by Robert Adler (txadler@verizon.net). Here is a pic
of it taken by Robert:
03/13/08 - I was excited to find your site and to find that
someone has posted sightings in westminster. I have followed
this bird for many years and watched him get moved at least
3 times. I am attaching two pics. Neither is very good qual-
ity as they are pictures of pictures. Crashed my computer
and lost all my pics. But you can see if you enlarge some of
the red tail detail. He is truly a magnificent bird and does
have a large red tail mate. I have never seen chicks come
from the nest however, my son says that two years ago there
were chicks in the nest. enjoy. ( my personal opinion of
the two pics from the gentleman in westminster is that it is
not the same bird as the sighting from Donna at 104th across
from the rec center / which is where our bird currently can
be found) you can notice the definite red in the tail and he
also has black under the wing which is noticeable when he
flies.) Thank you for your site. Lynn Stanley Here are a
couple pics that Lynn sent:
03/20/08 (email arrived) Taken summer of 2007, East Texas
near Lone Oak. Unfortunately a few weeks later we found this
hawk dead. It had been hit by a car. Pam Tignor Here are a
couple pics taken by Pam.
06/30/08 - We saw the bird for the 2nd time on 30 June, 2008.
It was flying around a rocky bluff located near the intersec-
tion of Union and Austin Bluffs Pkway in Colorado Springs at
12:30 p.m. I don’t recall the first time I saw it-but it was
within the last year. I was not 100% convinced that what I
had seen at the first sighting was an albino hawk. We saw the
hawk in the same exact area though. The second time the hawk
was flying with another redtail hawk-and that made it much
easier to identify as a hawk because you could compare the
two birds as they flew together. They also exhibited very
hawk like flying styles-catching wind over the bluff and rid-
ing thermals. My daughter, her boyfriend and I all agreed it
was a hawk. When I saw the bird, I said to my daughter-look
over on that bluff and tell me what you see flying over there
and she responded-WOW, a white hawk. I had not told her about
seeing the hawk the first time. My daughter and I are both
Native American, so we are constantly watching for hawks-so
she certainly knows hawks in flight. I have told a friend
of mine who is a wildlife photographer about the hawk. He is
going to that area to see if any of the residents in that
area know where the birds are, or have seen them. He said he
will try to get a picture of the bird(s). Will let you know
if he is able to get some good pictures. -- Patti Kryzanowski
09/08 - Sam Krabenhoft had a partial albino hawk come and
sit on his sweat lodge. He lives in Florissant, CO. He is
going to try and get a pic of it for the listing. If so I
will post it as soon as it comes in.
On September 30, 2008 I was interviewd by Justin Nobel of the
Audubonmagazine.org1 web site to discuss albinism and white
raptors. This interview came to be because of an amazing find
of a leukistic golden eagle that was entered into a rehab
center in Pueblo, CO. Here is an exert from the Nature and
Raptor Center of Pueblo:
On July 12, 2008 our raptor facilities admitted a very unique
patient, a leucistic golden eagle. Leucism also refered to as
partial albinism, is a genetic condition where the bird's
cells contains pigments, but not all of the pigments are
turned on. In albinism, the animal has no pigmentation. The
eagle (ID# 08-4082) is currently convelescing from a soft
tissue injury to the left shoulder and extensive damage to
its feathers. His recovery will take some time and there is
no projected release date. For now he needs rest, good food
and time.
Here is a pic of that amazing bird:
1 This is a blog site. To read the article, scroll down the
list to the article title "Rare White Eagle Stirs Souls".
10/27/08 - I received the following email today: I was really
excited to find your web site. On our way home from church
yesterday morning we saw a large white bird flying in the sky.
We pulled off the side of the road and got out of the car and
watched the bird circle until it flew out of site. It had the
same look as a red tailed hawk and assumed it must be an
albino hawk. We have seen a white bird sitting in the trees
in the same area and without having a close look, thought it
to be an owl. Now I am wondering if this has been the same
bird. Do hawks tend to remain in one area?
Thank you,
Rhonda Kuhn
Burton, WV
11/08/08 - I received the following email today: Glad to find
your website! I just saw what I think was a partial albino
red tail hawk near Calumet, OK. It was swooping down after
something in a wheat field when it caught my eye. I turned
around to get another look, and it flew up on a telephone
pole. I followed it for about a half a mile by car because I
couldn't believe my eyes! I couldn't find my camera so only
have some really crummy pics from my cell phone camera (could
send them to you if you are interested). But for one mottled
feather in each wing (only visible in flight), it was comple-
tely white. It must not have been a true albino as the eyes
were dark and the legs had pigment.
Amy Estep
{I advised her to send the cell phone pics so when I receive
them I'll get them edited and posted!}
12/20/08 - I received an email today from Ryan Ramsey who has
spotted this partial albino in the Goliad/Bee Counties. He's
seen the bird 3 times in the same spot. Here are some pics:
12/27/08 - I received the following email today, 12/29 about
another sighting. Here is the email:
On December 27, 2008 my wife saw an albino Redtail hawk sitt-
ing on a telephone pole at the intersection of Brenner Place
and Austin Bluffs Parkway in Colorado Springs. This interse-
ction is about a quarter mile east of the intersection that
was mentioned in the 6/30/08 posting by Patti Kryzanowski.
These two streets border Palmer Park in Colorado Springs
which is a mountainous, wilderness type park made up of large
craggy bluffs and open mesas. We live in Boulder County which
is 90 miles north of Colorado Springs and see Redtails every
day but have never seen a white one before. I was driving the
car and did not see the bird so we found your site after re-
turning home. Thank you for a great site.
My Thanks,
D. Scott Leggett
01/08/09 - I received an email on 01/26/09 from Randall Angle
who spotted a partial albino at the Northern portion of LBL
(Land between the Lakes) in Western Kentucky sitting on one
of the wooden power poles.
02/16/09 - This is what Sharon Mackie wrote:
"Yesterday while driving in central TX from Goldsboro to
Silver Spring on highway 84 I saw a solid white hawk. I
didn't have a camera or a pair of binoculars, but it was
close enough for me to see it well. As soon as I got home to
Austin I looked online and found your webpage and was so
happy to see the photos of the white red-tail hawk on your
site. It's clearly the bird I saw. What an awesome treat to
see such a beautiful bird! Thanks for helping me to identify
it!
06/18/09 - This is what Ray Cuzzone wrote:
"I was doing some research and found your web site. I thought
this was an Albino Red Tail? Mt. Lake is a housing community
in Lake Wales FL, dead center of peninsular Florida. This was
taken with a camera phone. He or she was solid white. I will
try to get a better picture with my camera.
We were laying sod yesterday and I saw this guy in a yard at
Mt. Lake. I think it is an albino red tail hawk!
09/20/09 - Email arrived on 09/21/09 from Kevin:
My brother who lives in Bedford, MA took this picture yester-
day of what we believes is an albino Hawk. Can you tell us if
this is an Albino hawk.
Here is the pic Paul, Kevin's brother took of the bird:
10/04/09 - Email arrived today which stated:
"Hello - spotted an albino Red-tailed Hawk today. Thought it
was a Snowy Owl, because I'd never heard of albino red tails.
Ran it by our resident bird writer, and he said he saw it
about a mile from where we saw it back in the spring. Sadly
had no camera, and never got closer than 50 yards or so (we
were on horseback). It was near Sharon Station Road in Amenia
NY, in some fields on a hill up behind a large pond. Found
your site while looking for pictures to compare to what I saw
and thought I'd send this in in case you are still collecting
reports. Nice site! Cheers, Ona Kiser, Sharon, CT".
11/20/09 - Email arrived today which stated:
"Hi Eddie, I saw an albino Redtail yesterday,11/19/09, on the
west side of Massillon Ohio. It looked to be mature and in
very good health. I was not able to take a picture but it is
a memory I will always have. I noticed in your website that a
Ron Warner has seen this bird. I know a Ron Warner and if it
is him it may be the same bird. The only thing is he said it
was partial, I got pretty close and saw only white? But it is
probably the same bird. Bruce Chapman"
12/15/09 - Email arrived today which stated:
"A fellow coworker was out placing a street sign on California
Ridge Trail in Briery Branch in Rockingham County, VA and
spotted this bird. After doing some research, I believe it may
be an Albino Red Tailed Hawk. It was injured with a broken
foot and allowed her to get VERY close, as evidenced by the
photograph. She has contacted the local wildlife office and an
officer attempted to capture it but it flew to a high branch
in a tree out of reach. Michael Saunders" Here are the pics he
took:
12/17/09 - Email arrived today which stated:
"A partial albino red-tail hawk was spotted by Robert Adler
in Rains County just north of the intersection of FM 514 and
US 69 in Point, Texas on 12/13/09 between 3:00 to 4:00 pm.
The hawk was spotted again by Sharon Adler on 12/17/09 in the
same area around the same time of day. Sharon Adler"
01/16/10 - Email arrived today which stated:
"Mr. Horvath, my name is Chris Thurmond. I found your website
concerning white redtailed hawks. I work for the local tele-
phone company in Hayesville, NC. I saw a mostly white red-
tailed hawk today, Saturday, Jan 16, 2010. It was very exci-
ting; the only one I have ever heard of. No one beleived me.
I didn't happen to have a camera. I went home, googled white
redtailed hawk, found your site. Thanks for the pictures. Now
I have some proof they do exsist."
01/17/10 - Email arrived today which stated:
"I believe I saw one of these birds while deer hunting. I
have seen him frequently and just looked on the web to see
what he is. We have many red tails in middle Tennessee, but I
had never seen a hawk that was all white with black wing tips.
Deer season is over but, I'll try to go "hunting" again, just
to get some photos.
If you are interested, I'll send you some. Jamie"
01/24/10 - Email arrived today which stated:
"Hi I came across your website and was in awe over the Albino
Red Tails. I wondered if you think this is a partial albino
Eagle. I've never seen one like this before. This was shot in
Ridgway, CO a couple months ago on 11/26/09. Thanks.
Terri Marie"
01/27/10 - Email arrived today which stated:
"Eddie, A couple of people at work kept telling us that they
saw this big white bird out in the back of our school. We
didn't believe them, until today when I got a picture of him.
We looked it up and he looks very much like the birds on your
website. I noticed there weren't any MS sightings (I may have
overlooked one), so we thought MS should be represented. Hope
you enjoy! This bird is not a stranger; He's been spotted on
multiple occasions by many people that work here.
Andrea Kirkley, Collins, MS"
{Clicking the link will open another window!}
02/03/10 - Email arrived today which stated:
Hi, I saw an albino hawk today. I was driving near Quakertown,
Pa. It flew into a tree. I went back to observe it in the tree
and it was absolutely pure white. It then flew away and I
watched it land. When I drove to the landing area I saw it
circling above for several minutes. It was awesome. Is this
very rare? Sincerely, Bob
04/14/10 - Email arrived today which stated:
A couple of months ago (February) while driving home, north on
Rt. 9h in Columbia Co. NY opposite the Airport, about 4:30 pm
I spotted what I thought was a Snowy Owl fly into some tall
blue spruce trees. This morning about 7am within a few hundred
feet of the first sighting I saw “the bird” again! This time
perched though looking like Red Tail Hawk. I turned around and
stopped, watching it until it flew off. It was an albino.....
leukistic red tail hawk!! OMG! Need to get a photo. Thanks for
your helpful info. Steve Stofelano, Jr. Albany, NY
04/21/10 - Email and pics arrived today and it stated:
I enjoyed your blog on the albino or partial albino red tail
hawks. I’ve attached some photos of one from Westminster, CO,
taken on April 20th, 2010. I don’t know if it is the same one
or a descendant of the one reported previously on your site.
It has a distinctive tail marking with about one and a quarter
red feathers, which are the only colored feathers is has. It
was seen at Margaret’s Pond just East of 104th and Sheridan.
- Pat {here are the 3 pics Pat took}:
04/30/10 - Email arrived today which stated:
I was in my yard today and was watching two crow chasing what
I at first thought was a seagull. But then I realized that it
was a Redtail hawk but it was 100% white! It was Hovering
about 100 feet up as the crows teased it and before we could
get our camera it was gone. I came back briefly but was catch-
ing a draft and soon was too high for a picture or the crows.
I live next to Lake Wallenpaupack in Northeast PA. This was
the first sighting in my life of a white hawk so I decided to
look it up and stumbled across your page.
Pat Biskey
07/15/10 - Email arrived today which stated:
I work at "The Birdhouse" an outdoor nature store in Madison,
Indiana. My father, who drives trucks in Northern Ohio, just
called to tell me he saw a "white" Red-tail hawk while driving
the Ohio turnpike near Brecksville. It few down the side of
the road, across in front of his truck at windshield height,
then down the embankment on the opposite side of the road. He
said he got a good, long look at it, and it couldn't be anyth-
ing else. I was wondering if anyone else has reported seeing
this bird? Your site is FAB, keep up the good work.
Susan Brewer
Madison, Indiana
10/19/10 - Email arrived today which stated:
Eddie, I saw this albino Hawk on Hwy 16 south of Goldthwait
going to Enchanted Rock State Natural Area this past Friday
around 10:00am. I was suprised to see it and took as many
photos as I could before it flew away. It was a beautiful bird.
When I got back home I googled Albino Hawk and found this web
page. I found this web page to be very informative and helped
identify what I had saw. I would also be honored to be added
to your list. Chris lives in Benbrook, TX. The hawk was seen
in Goldthwait on 10/15/10.
Sincerely,
Chris Acree
Here are some pics that Chris took of this beautiful bird:
10/19/10 - Email arrived today which stated:
My mom & I were driving down the road we live in in Lascassas,
Tennessee on 10/14/2010. My mom noticed a big white thing in
the top of a tree and stopped the car. It looked like a white
hawk to us. There are a lot of regular hawks in this area and
it is the first time we have ever seen a white hawk. I had my
camera with me and was able to take a couple shots. I found
your webpage while looking it up online.
Jessica Conley Salazar
Here are two pics Jessica took of the bird:
12/12/11 - Email arrived today which stated:
Eddie, Thanks to your web site we were able to determine what
the beautiful white bird of prey was we have seen around our
house for two years, this will be the third year. We live in
Globe, AZ and today is February 12, 2011. At first we thought
it was a grey hawk but I got a really good look today. The
bird is solid white and flew directly over us at about 100
feet. It does not have any bands on the wings or tail. What
a beautiful site. Unfortunately, we did not have our camera
available. We now are charging the battery and will be ready
for the next time we can get a picture. I will send it to you
when I am successful.
Laurie Hawkins.
03/16/11 - Email arrived today which stated:
Dear Mr. Horvath, I've got another sighting (and pictures) of
a white red-tailed hawk for you. I just found your website
through Google. I've seen the bird for 3 days no, and assume
it was albino, but I learned from you that it's "just" white.
Are you interested in the pictures? None of them are terribly
good because I don't have a professional camera, but I got
some good close pictures today by taking them through my bi-
noculars. What does it mean on your website where you talk
about having "usage rights" for pictures? In other words,
what does it mean for me as the person who took the pictures?
(Not that any of them are that good, just curious.)
Here are the best of the pictures I have. Incidentally, I
spoke with somebody from the Alabama Rare Bird Alert and he
said he's gotten calls about this bird occasionally for about
6 years, always in the same area.
Cheers,
Megan Brown
Here are the pics that Megan sent:
03/19/11 - Email arrived today which stated:
Hello Mr. Horvath. This is Peter Horvath. I found your web-
site with Google this evening. This afternoon, I was driving
on Metlars Lane near Rutgers in Piscataway, New Jersey when I
spotted this white bird sitting in a tall oak at the edge of a
wooded area. I pulled a U-turn to investigate - and my initial
guess was that it was a Snowy Owl - - a bird that is seen this
far south every two or three years in the dead of winter. But
it's March 19 - too late for that. When I stopped the car and
got my camera, the hawk had taken flight and I got these four
shots before it disappeared into the woods. I guess it was a
redtail - but I though it looked more like an accipiter. What
do you think?
Peter Horvath
Lancaster County PA
04/02/11 - Email arrived today which stated:
Please find attached two photographs of an all-white raptor
seen today in Des Moines, IA. The tree it is in is located at
6215 Edwards Ave, Des Moines, IA.
04/19/11 - Email arrived today which stated:
Just thought I would put in my two cents in about this beauti-
ful bird, which I have seen here in extreme S. Wisconsin. It's
very shy of people and you can't get closer than 500 ft. As
such, I have only been able to see it from different angles,
where ever it perches. Although I didn't dream it would be an
all white hawk, I realize that makes the most sense. It's most
often scene in the late winter , early spring. That last time
I saw it was about 2 weeks ago, when there was snow on the
ground and the hawk was in a grove of black trees. It just
shown like a white light, sitting up in a tree on the edge.
Thank you for writing about it and for everyone's stories and
pictures.
Elinor Glynn
Janesville, Wi
04/20/11 - Email arrived today which stated:
Hi,
Today my son, Joaquin, and I spotted an albino, red-tailed hawk
near our home in Snowmass Village, Colorado. It happened just
30 minutes ago and I am returning to see if I can get a few
fotos.
Cheers,
Macky
08/05/11 - Email arrived today which stated:
Hello,
I found your website while researching an all white bird we saw
last Friday night. We were riding four wheelers on a country
road when I saw the big white bird about 100 yards away perched
on a cottonwood branch. At first my friends thought it was a
plastic grocery bag caught in the tree, but then it took flight
across the pasture and into the woods, re-appearing on the tree
line. He made a sound and so we knew it was a hawk. If you look
closely he is the little white dot on the ridge of the tree
line. We're going to search for him tonight and try to get more
photos. I just thought you would be interested.
Regards,
Chrissy Littler
{Photo not included as you could not see the bird, not even in
a blown up version using PhotoShop.}
09/06/11 - Email arrived today which stated:
Eddie,
I was driving along Rt. 9 in Columbia County and sighted the
same albino red tail that I read about on your page (posted
4/10).
Too far to get a pic but in exact same place Steve saw it!!
Steve Stofelano, Jr. Albany, NY
I’ll keep my eyes open and see if can get closer next time!!
Cool!
Thank you for posting this page…we had no idea what it was!
Nancy
10/05/11 - Email arrived today which stated:
Not sure if you would want this pic but I found your page on
white red tailed hawks and think that may be what we spotted
on 9/24/11 in Morgantown WV. We were on Pierpont Road and
headed to a Sat football game when I noticed this bird way in
the distance. Maybe you can confirm what I saw or hopefully
will find this useful. It was very far so the photo is going
to be grainy probably.
Regards,
David
11/06/11 - Email arrived today which stated:
We have had an all white albino hawk who stays on out family
land for a few months now. Although we can get up to 100 yards
from him we don't have any pics that are acceptable (cell
phone only) or I would consider posting them. However I am a
little leery of giving out a county or a name to lead too many
to him. He is almost always visible from the hwy and not very
spooky at all. He also stands out like a sore thumb as he sits
in the top of 15 foot tall planted hardwoods, in the middle of
a large field, all day against a very dark background. I hope
to get back soon with some pics if I can get a clear set. This
is just to let you know that west central Alabama is now host
to one of these beautiful birds, and he seems as relaxed and
content as he could be. I hope he can stay that way. We have
by far too many out of town pay to hunt visitors, nonstop all
through the winter months...
John L.
A leukistic-morph Red-Tail at The Lindsay Wildlife Museum.
Update on photo above: I have recently corrisponded with the
Director of External Affairs, Sherrill Cook, from the Lindsay
Wildlife Museum. She informed me today, March 11, 2003 that the
bird pictured above died approximately 5 years ago of old age.
This is an article that was sent to me by someone from Texas. I
will quote it as written for your information.
[The larger pics of the "albino's" were supplied by myself and
were not part of the article. They are simply added for your
viewing pleasure].
Rare hawk's killing upsets Bee residents
"In an act of senseless destruction that shocked and
saddened many, a rare white bird of prey that charmed South
Texans was shot and its lifeless body left on a two-lane
road in Bee County, not far from where it had made its home
for several years.
An "Albino" Red-Tail hawk in Flight.
Photo by Jimmy Jackson
Jimmy Jackson, a real estate broker who first saw the bird
in October 1995 while looking for ranch property, said the
oddly colored red-tail hawk was a local favorite.
"We've all kept track of the bird," Jackson said. "It's
kind of a friend to everyone up here."
Now authorities are searching for whoever shot the
federally protected hawk about a week before Christmas, and a
reward fund of up to $1,000 has been established.
John Karger, executive director of the Last Chance Forever
Bird of Prey Conservancy, said that while red-tail hawks are
limited to North America, they are very common - although red-
tail hawks with white feathering are unusual.
"As a scientist and a biologist, I find them kind of
freaky," said Karger, who uses a live white red-tail hawk in
demonstrations to educate people about birds of prey.
"The average citizen loves white red-tails. I don't know
why that is, but it's a great phenomenon."
Henry Kendall, a master falconer in St. Louis who has
tracked reports of white red-tail hawks for more than a decade
reports of about 600 sightings of the oddly colored red-tails
throughout North America.
An "Albino" Red-Tail hawk perching.
Photo by Jimmy Jackson
"Only one pure white albino with pink eyes has ever been
spotted," said Kendall, who noted that the bird killed in Bee
County had dark eyes.
"Ther're magnificent creatures, and very elusive because of
their coloration."
Jackson regularly watched the all-white hawk as it perched
atop a phone pole alongside Texas 673 between Pawnee and Beeville
or in a nearby live oak tree.
But he couldn't get close enough to take a good photograph
until about two months ago.
"He was quite predictable," Jackson said. "But he was very
spooky. He'd always fly away."
"Dr. Lily Engles, president of the Texas Ornithological
Society, denounced the shooting.
"I think it's very sad that there are people out there that
shoot birds of prey and any of the nation's wildlife that are not
game animals for sport," Engles said.
Karger imagines that whoever killed the bird did so because
it stood out and was different.
A Partial Albino Red-Tail hawk.
Photo by Roy Lukes
"This particular bird, being a white bird, that's just a fun
target, that's what this was," said Karger, who added the shooter
should not be confused with sportsman and women.
"He was not shot by a hunter," Karger said.
"He was shot by someone who was uneducated and an idiot, and
in my opinion, a slob."
Tom Mason, a special agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service in Corpus Christi who is investigating the case, recently
retrieved the dead bird from the Beeville resident who found it
in the center of Texas 673.
He declined to discuss the specifics of the case.
Mason did say that whoever shot the bird could be punished
with a $5,000 fine and six months in jail for violating the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
The bird's apparent mate - she doesn't have any white
feathers - still shows up at the phone pole in vain, Mason said.
He urged anyone with information about the case to call the
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's operation Game Thief at
(800) 792-4263.
Mason said only a few birds of prey are killed each year in
Texas -a far cry from the day when raptors were universally dis-
patched as "chicken hawks" by farmers and ranchers.
"Ther're no threat to property. Ther're no threat to
people," Mason said, adding that hawks help keep rodent
populations in check. "They're a benefit."
Jackson said he previously was wary of publicizing the
hawk's existence.
"We worried about it, because we know there are people out
there who are spoilers, they're going to try and knock down
something that's attractive to other people," he said.
Now that the white hawk is dead, Jackson said he hopes news
stories about the incident and possible prosecution will help
prevent future shootings of federally protected raptors.
"Hopefully, this will be the end of that type of activity,"
he said.
A Partial Albino Red-Tail hawk.
Photo by Roy Lukes
My Personal Thoughts
I have personally seen a partial red-tail hawk in Logan,
Utah. It was in 1984 and a friend and myself spent three
months trying to trap it to take photographs of it. The bird
was a female and was very elusive. We could not get closer
than about 300 to 500 yards from her before she took to the
air.
These birds are very, very rare! U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service needs to impliment heavier fines for such birds; or any
other species that is found offering an "oddity" color phase no
matter what species it is. Also, they need to actually fine
the person the stated amount and give him/her the maximum jail
sentence. Screw this "first time offense" crap! They violated
the law, so punish them to the fullest extent! After all,
they killed one of "our" animals. An animal that belongs to
everyone of us who enjoy wildlife and animals in general.
All too often people who commit crimes, especially those
against animals, are caught, simply given a small slap on the
wrist and maybe a small [for sake of argument] $500 fine. This
is not good enough. It immediately implants a message in that
persons head that they can "basically get away with it." And
with that in their small, feable, little mind, they will do
it again if given the chance!
If the justice system was enforced against these violaters
and poachers, there would be much less killing of our protected
species.
Just a little note. While we were trying to capture the
bird mentioned above, we had a valid Raptor Capture Permit in
our possession. Keep in mind that it is illegal for any person
to trap, catch, possess, transfer, barter, sale or trade
wildlife without a valid permit from their State and the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
If you have comments on this article or my personal
thoughts or anything about wildlife and the laws governing it,
feel free to drop me a line.
December 16, 2006
I, the owner of this page, spotted a partial albino Bald
Eagle in Fairview, UT sitting with two adult Bald Eagles. I
tried to get a pic of it using my digital camera but it didn't
turn out because it was too far away and I had forgotten to
take my 35mm camera and lenses with me. This bird was a sub 2
by the 1/2 brown 1/2 white of the head and tail. It's breast,
wings and back were about 60 percent white and it had its
beautiful yellow beak and feet. However, the white in the
head and tail could have also been part of the leukistic color.
North Goliad County , Tx December 17, 2006
I first saw this bird in Feb. '04 and just had a short glimpse
at 200 yards away , but others had seen the bird well. Contin-
ued getting reports in 2005 . In early December 2006 received
a good photo from a local man, Scott Smejkal . Drove out there
on December 17 and found the bird easily & got some diagnostic
pictures w/ 400 lens. The pictures had to be zoomed and cropped
but did show nearly all the marks. This bird had some small
dark marking on its upper neck and looked dirty yellow/orange
below. The tail had a orangish tint but the overall appearance
of the bird from a distance was totally white. Here are pics
of that bird from Liza Bridge:
Other Albino Animals
(here because they are beautiful)
This moose and the two albino moose were photographed in Michigan, near Wisconsin.
Here are two pics of ablino bison that were sent to my by Andrew Howsden from Colorado:
Other Non-Albino Animals
(here because they are different)
A black fawn (deer)
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