As the (white) crow flies Niagara photographer captures image of rarely seen bird on film

By Paul Forsyth
Feb 18, 2009

It might not have the punch of capturing Bigfoot on film, but a bird observation outing by Larry Scott on Feb. 2 resulted in images being captured of another creature that's been stirring up a lot of interest in Niagara in recent months: an elusive white crow. Scott was snapping pictures of birds in Queenston Heights near Brock's monument when the unusual bird flew into view.

Callers from as far away as St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Fort Erie have contacted Niagara This Week with regular sightings of a white crow over the last three months.

So is it a true albino?

Well, that depends on your definition of what an albino is, said Kevin McGowan, a research associate at the Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology in Ithaca, N.Y. Ornithology is the study of birds.

"The term 'albino' is slippery," said McGowan. That's because even within the scientific community, there is debate over what constitutes a true albino bird.
The white crow of Niagara, for instance, has a dark beak and dark eyes, rather than a white beak and pink eyes -- something that would suggest a complete lack of melanin -- the pigment that allows humans to tan and gives crows their black colour. But the fact the crow's feet are lighter than they should be and has white feathers prove it is indeed lacking in the pigment, McGowan said.

"It's still a pretty freaking weird bird," he said after being e-mailed photos of the crow.

He said birds must molt and regrow their feathers each year.

"They wear out," he said. "They're like fingernails."

What isn't clear is whether the Niagara crow is permanently white because of a genetic reason, or whether it's temporarily white due to some kind of environmental exposure, McGowan said.

Crows are slightly more prone to albinism than other bird species, but it's still pretty rare: McGowan has banded more than 2,000 crows but has yet to encounter a pure white one. He estimates about one in every 300,000 to 500,000 crows are pure white, although a higher percentage have some white spots.

There are reasons why there are so few white crows, said McGowan. Standing out in a flock of crows -- known as a murder -- makes them easier to get picked out by predators such as hawks, he said. In addition, melanin doesn't just add colour to feathers -- the pigment also helps hold them together, he said.

"They (white crows) don't really make it that long," he said.