Leucistic Female Northern Cardinal
Copyright © Lewis Scharpf
This is an unusual and beautiful bird and I was delighted to make the observation.
This is a leucistic female Northern Cardinal.
Due to an inability of the bird to deposit the chestnut/buff pigment, phaeomelanin, many of the feathers are white in color.
The red carotenoid pigment is unaffected so the feathers are red in the normal places for a female cardinal.
Photo taken 1/5/19 in Opelika, Alabama.
