During a nest box check, Mary Roen noticed one nestling was an albino. She later photographed the fledgling after it left the nest box.

When a clutch of 4 Eastern Bluebird eggs hatched in Wisconsin this summer, NestWatch contributor Mary Roen was surprised to find that one of the nestlings was unlike the others. As the pale nestling grew larger and became more feathered, it became clear it was an albino. Mary kept a close eye on the nestlings, monitoring them regularly as part of her long-term nest box monitoring efforts. The white-feathered bluebird developed alongside 3 normally colored nestmates, although it fledged one day later than the others.

Mary Roen shared that “This was the first time in my 34 years of bluebird nest monitoring that I had an albino bluebird.” You can learn more about albinism in birds on the Project FeederWatch website at Unusual Birds - FeederWatch