How RARE IS A White Crow???...

All We Know About Albino Crows... By Patrick O'Donnell Published: December 13, 2023 | Updated: June 19, 2024 >>> Crows are intelligent and intriguing birds. They can even learn to mimic human words! Almost all of the crows I see have black plumage. However, once or twice, I have seen an all-white crow! Albino crows are very rare. How does albinism in crows happen? Can they survive in the wild? See answers to these and other questions about albino crows in this article! The Power of Mutation Are Albino Crows Treated Any Differently? How Long Do Albino Crows Live? Interesting Facts About Albino Crows >>> The Power of Mutation... Albinism is a rare but regular occurrence in crows and many other animals. As with all living beings, in crows, the only way true albinism happens is when the bird has a genetic mutation that prevents it from making melanin. Melanin is the sole factor that gives crows their dark plumage, eyes, beak, legs, and feet. Take that away and the bird has white feathers, reddish or pink eyes, and pale pink skin, legs, and a pale pink beak. This occurrence only happens if both parents carry the recessive gene for albinism, and both also happen to transfer that gene to their offspring. When crows mate, each parent passes one copy of every gene to their offspring. If one of the adults is an albino crow, they would certainly pass the recessive albinism gene to their babies because they carry two copies of that gene. However, for any baby to be albino, they would still need to mate with either another albino crow, or a crow that carries one copy of the albino gene. That non-albino crow with the gene would have a fifty/fifty chance of passing their recessive copy to their offspring. If the parent passes the dominant, non-albino gene to their offspring, the baby will have black plumage. >>> Are There Any Black And White Crows?... A few crow and raven species have natural black and white plumage. However, most crows are entirely black. Even so, we do sometimes see crows with white feathers. They can have white feathers in their tails, wings, or scattered on their bodies. These interesting-looking birds are not albinos, nor even partially albino. If you take a closer look, the crow has a black bill, and its eyes do not appear red. This means this crow is leucistic. © Dominic Sherony They birds are known as being “leucistic”. This is a term for birds that have some white or pale feathers, or even entirely pale plumage without being albinos. Leucism can happen for a variety of reasons. Different mutations can affect the color of some feathers, and it might also be caused by pollution or pesticides. Malnutrition or other dietary problems can also result in leucistic birds. Such birds aren’t getting the nutrition they require and thus lack the energy, vitamins, or minerals needed to have normal-colored plumage. Crows like this are probably unhealthy in general and if several are seen, this could be a sign of a polluted or unhealthy environment. Although leucistic birds still tend to survive longer than albinos, they don’t usually live as long as normally plumaged individuals. However, unlike albinos, many leucistic birds can regain normally-colored feathers if they live in a clean environment and have a healthy diet. >>> Are Albino Crows Treated Any Differently?... Albino crows don’t have it easy. Sadly, other crows are quick to recognize that these other birds are different, and they do not treat them well. In the nest, their parents do feed and take care of them. However, after albino crows fledge, they run into problems. Crows are very social and intelligent birds that constantly communicate with each other. They are very aware of how their fellow crows act and look, and they react to those differences. In the case of albino birds, crows don’t usually stick up for them. Instead they don’t trust those different birds and might even fear them. ~ From "Birdzilla".