Rare Eagle observed on Swinomish Reservation

Observation: Swinomish Indian Tribal Community had a special guest at the Administration building. This bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus was spotted by a tribal employee Tino Villaluz, the Hunting and Gathering Program Manager. The eagle was just sitting in a tree in front of the Admin building. It looks to be a leucistic bald eagle based on the light coloration of it's feathers.

LEO Says: Leucism is defined as a partial or total lack of eumelanin and phaeomelanin in the feathers as a result of inherited disorder of the deposition of these pigments in the feathers. (Grouw, 2006) There is documentation of a resident leucistic eagle in Klamath Basin NWR, Oregon, for several years that eagle has nested locally. (Liedtke, 2017)

References

Liedtke, K. (2017, March 9). Rare leucistic bald eagle makes Klamath home. Herald and News.

Grouw, H. Van. (2006). Not every white bird is an albino : sense and nonsense about colour, 79–89.