Rare albino crow found in Connecticut unable to fly: 'A special bird'
A Connecticut rehabilitation center for birds of prey admitted a very rare fledgling into its facility earlier this month.
The wildlife rescue, A Place Called Hope, located in Killingworth, shared the news on its social media platforms following the bird's admittance.
"Every day is like an adventure when you work in the world of Wildlife Rehabilitation," the A Place Called Hope team shared on Facebook.
"You just never know exactly what is about to come through the doors requiring help."
On July 11, the team at A Place Called Hope brought in the bird, an albino Fish Crow. Albino crows are a rarity, with only 1 out of 30,000 birds linked to albinism, according to the wildlife's social media post.
Albinism is a "very specific mutation with a well known genetic cause similar across all vertebrates," according to the Connecticut Audubon Society.
"These birds are unable to produce melanin at all because of the absence of the required enzyme tyrosinase," the organization's website states. "All of the plumage is white and the skin is unpigmented."
Along with being an albino, the bird is also considered to be leucistic and only 1% of birds with albinism fall into this category, the wildlife center noted. (Leucism causes white coloration, white patches, spots or splotches on the skin or fur, the National Park Service indicated.)
The rare fledgling was brought in after it was called "grounded" and "unable to fly," and possibly sustaining injuries.
"Although our first round of x-rays are not revealing any obvious fractures, the bird is favoring a wing," the rehabilitation team shared on Facebook.
"The bird is also not seeing too well. One of our trusted vets will do a thorough exam in the next few days."
The team at a Place Called Hope said the crow is thriving in her current environment and is recovering from a soft tissue tear in her wing, according to Fox 10 Phoenix.
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The wildlife team is continuing to update followers on the health and well-being of the bird and continuing to educate others on her rare condition as well.
The team at the wildlife center is currently "submitting legal paperwork with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to acquire the crow as an ambassador bird for educational purposes at their facility," Fox 10 Phoenix reported.
While freedom is the ultimate goal for the birds that enter the rehabilitation center, not all are able to released and will remain in the care of the Connecticut wildlife team.
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"The albino Fish Crow is very happy with her new and safe environment. She will remain in our care as we have determined her to be non-releasable due to her visual impairment," Christine Cummings, president of A Place Called Hope, shared with Fox News Digital.
"We look forward to sharing her with the public so she can teach so many about this rare condition that affects all animals," she continued.
The bird is considered a symbol of healing, purification, good fortune and so much more, A Place Called Hope's Facebook post read.
Cummings said, "She is a special bird, and we feel she came to us as a symbol of healing, which is our goal at A Place Called Hope."
