The bird with white feathers cruising the thermals above Crooked Creek Lake in Manor Township is no gull, but a “partial-albino” red-tailed hawk.
There are at least four partial-albino red-tailed hawks in the region, including ones near Burgettstown, Pittsburgh's North Side and the Boston area near the Youghiogheny River, according to Jim Bonner, executive director of the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania.
“It's a little bit of a curiosity and something interesting to see,” Bonner said.
Known as leucistic, white feathers on a normally dark bird is the most frequently seen color abnormality. The variation is caused by some change to the melanin pigments that color black and brown feathers, according to the Sibley bird guide website.
A true albino is a very specific genetic mutation, rarely seen in the wild, according to Sibley. A partial-albino is a general term for a bird with unexpected white plumage that isn't totally white. True albino birds usually have pink eyes and other issues that cut short their lives.
Having four partial-albino red-tailed hawks in the region is not that unusual, according to Bonner and Patti Barber, Pennsylvania Game Commission endangered birds biologist.
“These are natural mutations,” Barber said. “It's not like there's a disease vector.”
Bonner attributed knowledge of four such birds to more people using cameras and phones to document local wildlife showing up all over social media.
“There is something special about these birds that people find intriguing,” Bonner said.
Although not leucistic, the light-colored feathers of a male red-tail hawk, known as “Pale Male,” in New York City have been a sensation with a legion of fans. The bird has his own book, as well as pages devoted to him on Wikipedia and Facebook. Besides good looks, Pale Male has been a prolific nester in New York's urban jungle.
There are other partial-albinos out there among native bird species, but the red-tailed hawk is the most-seen raptor in the state, according to Barber and Bonner.
“Red-tailed hawks are comfortable around people,” Barber said. “Years ago, they used to be called ‘chicken hawks,' and would sit by farmers' houses.”
Bonner said people can see red-tailed hawks just about anywhere out in the open along roads, fields, suburban yards, golf courses and cemeteries.
Mary Ann Thomas is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 724-226-4691 or mthomas@tribweb.com.
