Avian rescuers find extremely rare white bird in unexpected encounter

Killingworth, Connecticut - Animal rescuers at A Place Called Hope, a rehabilitation and education center for birds of prey, suspected they were getting a very special bird, but it wasn't until the white fish crow arrived at the Connecticut shelter that its rarity was confirmed.

When avian rescuers saw this bird's photo, they were pretty sure it was an extremely rare creature.
When avian rescuers saw this bird's photo, they were pretty sure it was an extremely rare creature.  © Screenshot/Facebook/A Place Called Hope

When employees at A Place Called Hope avian rehabilitation center got a call about an injured white bird, they asked for a photo, as The Dodo reported. When they saw the snap, the avian experts got super excited.

They were pretty sure that the injured white bird was a leucistic fish crow, which is extremely rare.

"We immediately felt honored to have admitted such a rarity," Christine Cummings, the director at A Place Called Hope, told the outlet.

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"We realize the odds are slim to meet a bird like this in person. We are considering her to be a gift or a blessing for all the hard work this center achieves."

The extremely rare white bird is a leucistic fish crow

This rare white fish crow will spend the rest of her life at the bird sanctuary due to her bad eyesight.
This rare white fish crow will spend the rest of her life at the bird sanctuary due to her bad eyesight.  © Screenshot/Facebook/A Place Called Hope

The inured white bird turned out to be what the experts thought it was: a leucistic fish crow.

Common fish crows boast jet-black plumage, but the rare leucistic fish crow has white feathers.

Though birds with leucism are similar to albino birds, they can produce melanin and tend to have dark eyes. Per the Avian Report, only one in 30,000 birds is leucistic or albinistic.

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As the injured crow was recovering at the avian sanctuary, staffers realized she couldn't see very well. They determined releasing her back into the wild would be irresponsible.

Christine explained, "She is safe now in a captive environment where she will learn to navigate and trust [that] her surroundings won't change."

The director added, "We look forward to her future and can't wait to give her a permanent, appropriate name."

Cover photo: Collage: Screenshot/Facebook/Screenshots/A Place Called Hope

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