1 2012 Jan 23 "The Spirit Bird" & A Crow

This is a Rough-legged Hawk.....this individual is leucistic, lacking the melanin pigment of normal birds. This is not to be confused with albinism, a condition where the individual is pure white, including its eyes, which show up as pink due to the colour of the blood in its circulatory system. Note its dark eyes. <br />
Leucistic birds are seldom seen. Because of their abnormal whitish colour, they are quite conspicuous and as a result, are soon weeded out of the normal population by predators - of which this species, a predator itself, has few.<br />
Description information on this hawk was provided by Gus Yaki.....I thank you sir for all your help!<br />
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I will probably never have another opportunity to take pictures of this kind of bird again....

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This is a Rough-legged Hawk.....this individual is leucistic, lacking the melanin pigment of normal birds. This is not to be confused with albinism, a condition where the individual is pure white, including its eyes, which show up as pink due to the colour of the blood in its circulatory system. Note its dark eyes.
Leucistic birds are seldom seen. Because of their abnormal whitish colour, they are quite conspicuous and as a result, are soon weeded out of the normal population by predators - of which this species, a predator itself, has few.
Description information on this hawk was provided by Gus Yaki.....I thank you sir for all your help!

I will probably never have another opportunity to take pictures of this kind of bird again....

DSC 2542 leucistic roughlegged hawk