A White Northern Cardinal??
This past week someone posted photos in a Facebook birding group of a stunningly beautiful Northern Cardinal with white plumage. The bird was seen in Orlando at the Harry P. Leu Gardens. I was already planning a Saturday trip to Orlando Wetlands, so I immediately added this destination as a stop on my return to Tampa.
After my trip to Orlando Wetlands, I drove to Leu Gardens and paid the $15 entrance fee. Finding a specific small bird in a 50-acre park was going to be tough. But the person who posted pictures of the bird on Facebook left a clue. She said it was seen near the Rose Garden, so that’s where I headed. I walked all around and through the Rose Garden, seeing lots of normal looking Northern Cardinals, as well as Tufted Titmouse, American Robin, Northern Parula, and White-eyed Vireo. It seemed that all the regular looking Northern Cardinals were amused as I searched in near desperation looking for a white cardinal.
Northern Cardinal. This very normal male Northern Cardinal giving me a “Whatcha looking for?” look. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1250 sec, ISO 5000.
After an hour and a half of chasing every Cardinal I could see and hear I almost gave up. I was tired, hungry, and not really enjoying birding in an urban park with lots of people around. I decided to take one more walk through a more densely vegetated area less frequented by people. While walking and hardly paying attention anymore - I spotted him! I actually gasped when I saw him perched on a low branch. After calming myself down and telling myself not to make any sudden movements, I slowly raised my camera and pointed it at the bird. To my relief he stayed perfectly calm, sitting all puffed up on the branch, looking just like a toy.
Northern Cardinal. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/800 sec, ISO 1800.
After a couple of minutes another male cardinal (normal looking) flew in and both took off to a nearby tree. This time the bird had its back to me so I could get a better look at its plumage. As you can see, the bird is not completely albino. There is red in the wings, tail, crest, feet, and bill. This red has a light tone, almost pink or light orange in color. There is also some beige in the back feathers. The eyes are light brown, not pink like you would expect in an albino.
Northern Cardinal. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/800 sec, ISO 800.
Is this bird an albino, a partial albino, or does this bird have leucism?
Quite earnestly, I don’t know. I do know it’s not a full albino, as all the feathers would be white and the eyes would be pink.
Reading this article from The British Trust for Ornithology, I would likely say this bird is leucistic given the color of the bird’s eyes. However, if you read this article from David Sibley, you would be right to call it a partial albino. Whatever you call it, the bird is an absolute gem and I look forward to photographing it again.
Northern Cardinal. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/640 sec, ISO 1000.
An admonition: This bird is likely photographed extensively since it is in a well-known public park. If you go photograph this bird, keep your distance, photograph with a super telephoto lens, and don’t linger too long. Ten minutes may not seem too long to you, but this bird likely gets visited many times a day by birders and photographers. Get your photos and get out to avoid over-stressing this unique bird.
This Monday, the North Beach at Fort De Soto Park opened, so I am really excited about heading out to the beach this Saturday. Pictures of Reddish Egrets are already being posted onto Facebook so I look forward to seeing these and other shore birds. It should be fun.
Happy birding!
