Rare all-bald eagle is drawing people from across the US to Oklahoma. ‘Awesome bird’
_fitted.png "A rare white eagle has been spotted at a wildlife refuge in Oklahoma, drawing people to the state from across the country to try and catch a glimpse of the bird.")
An exceptionally rare bird of prey spotted at a wildlife refuge in Oklahoma is drawing people to the state from across the U.S., hoping for a glimpse of its snowy feathers and golden beak, according to wildlife officials.
It might be hard to recognize without its iconic coloration — the dark brown body, and the stark white head it’s named for — but the winged attraction is a bald eagle, sporting one-of-a-kind plumage.
“Bird enthusiasts from all over the country have made the trip to our state just to get a view,” the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation said in a Feb. 10 post, sharing a photo of the white bald eagle perched on a bare tree branch.
Word of the white raptor must have traveled fast, as it was first seen at the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge only a week prior to posting, according to ODWC.
From top to tail feather, the eagle is nearly all bald, the photo shows.
Except for a dark splotch or two, and a few feathers verging on blond, one might mistake the eagle for being albino or a snowy owl that’s wandered a very long way from home.
But this bald eagle is leucistic, the post said.
Leucism is a rare condition in the animal kingdom: white fur or feathers resulting from a lack of pigment — but without the pink eyes and poor eyesight of albinism. Leucistic animals can be all white, nearly so or take on a piebald appearance reminiscent of a dairy cow.
How rare is an eagle with the color pattern seen in Oklahoma?
It’s difficult to find exact figures, but one expert, when speaking about a “patchy” bald eagle living in Oregon, told Klamath Falls newspaper the Herald and News this: “I couldn’t give you an exact number, but I’d guess one in a million.”
Could the Oklahoma eagle be so special?
Commenters on ODWC’s post seem to think so, with plenty making plans to visit the refuge, amid exclamations of “amazing,” and “cool,” and “wow, he’s beautiful.”
Or as one comment simply said, “Awesome bird.”
Situated in the Arkansas River flood plain, and about 120 miles east of Oklahoma City, the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge encompasses nearly 21,000 acres of forest and wetland habitat and is “home to many species of migratory birds and other resident wildlife, like white-tailed deer, bobcat, beaver and the American bald eagle,” according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
This story was originally published February 10, 2022 at 4:34 PM with the headline "Rare all-bald eagle is drawing people from across the US to Oklahoma. ‘Awesome bird’."