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douglas9

(4,358 posts)
Sat Feb 24, 2018, 09:39 AM Feb 2018

'One in a million' yellow cardinal spotted in Alabama

An extremely rare cardinal has birders and biologists flocking to Shelby County, Alabama this week, as images of a yellow cardinal have circulated around social media.

Auburn University biology professor Geoffrey Hill said the cardinal in the photos is an adult male in the same species as the common red cardinal, but carries a genetic mutation that causes what would normally be brilliant red feathers to be bright yellow instead.

Alabaster resident Charlie Stephenson first noticed the unusual bird at her backyard feeder in late January and posted about it on Facebook. She said she's been birding for decades but it took her some time to figure out what she was seeing.

"I thought 'well there's a bird I've never seen before'," Stephenson said. "Then I realized it was a cardinal, and it was a yellow cardinal."

Stephenson said she would not give out her address or specific location due to fears that people would flock in to get a look at the bird, but said she lives near the new Thompson High School in Alabaster. She shot some video of the bird, embedded below.


http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/02/one_in_a_million_yellow_cardinal.html

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'One in a million' yellow cardinal spotted in Alabama (Original Post) douglas9 Feb 2018 OP
What a gorgeous little creature! Ohiogal Feb 2018 #1
Posted on Thurs. with pixs and video packman Feb 2018 #2
Its a shiny! n/t woodsprite Feb 2018 #3

Ohiogal

(31,911 posts)
1. What a gorgeous little creature!
Sat Feb 24, 2018, 10:55 AM
Feb 2018

I so enjoy watching the birds come to the feeder outside my kitchen window.

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