Yahoo – AFP,
25 May 2015
 |
An albino
sparrow, one of the rarest birds in the world, seen in the outer
Melbourne
suburb of Point Cook (AFP Photo/Bob Winters)
|
A rare pure
white sparrow has been spotted in Australia, leaving ornithologists all
aflutter.
The albino
was photographed at Sanctuary Lakes near Melbourne, but it is not expected to
survive long with its snowy white plumage making it stand out to birds of prey.
Bob
Winters, a birdwatching expert and environmental educator, photographed the
animal after being alerted to its presence by a friend. But it wasn't an easy
task.
"It's
a very nervous animal, understandably, so I had to try for quite a few days to
get some photos," he told AFP, adding that pure white sparrows had been
seen globally only "once in a blue moon".
Australian
media said there had been a handful of confirmed sightings of the bird across
the world, including one reported in Britain in 2010.
Winters
judged that the bird was six or seven months old which in itself was an
achievement, due to its lack of camouflage and disabilities that come with
being a genetic mutation.
 |
An albino
sparrow (L), one of the rarest birds in the world, is seen in the
outer Melbourne suburb of Point Cook (AFP Photo/Bob Winters)
|
"This
bird has got so many disadvantages. They usually get kicked out of the nest
because they're different and it has fragile feathers that make it quite
difficult to fly," he said.
"Probably
no-one wants to breed with it, and it's easy pickings for a bird of prey."
Albinism is
a recessive characteristic which only shows up when a bird inherits the albino
gene from both parents.
It affects
all the pigments, with albino birds showing no colour whatsoever. They also
have pale pink or reddish eyes, legs, feet and a pale bill.
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