Sunday

"It's just so unique, so different. It's unforgettable,"

The white birds are believed to number in the single digits locally, born from a single pair of black common ravens with a rare genetic defect. They are considered leucistic, with reduced pigmentation, rather than albino, since they have some colour in their eyes.

Common ravens are monogamous and can live for more than 30 years, but North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre assistant manager Julie Mackey said the white birds don't tend to live as long or breed as well as their black cousins.

She said there are a few tiny populations scattered around the mid-Island that may all be related, with sightings in Port Alberni, Comox and Tofino. Sightings elsewhere around the world are extremely rare.

The local birds have been the subject of several books and news and magazine reports across the country.


There are many white raven legends, especially among First Nations, ranging from them being the bringers of light, to being tricksters, to foretelling the end of the world.










VIDEO

Responses to "10 pictures of the extremely rare and legendary creature - the White Raven."

  1. Anonymous says:

    Oh! These are amazing! Gives me an idea for short story too. :D

  2. I would love to see a white Raven with these eyes! I love Ravens!!!

  3. Unknown says:

    Love a good read keep me posted

  4. Unknown says:

    It's beautiful!!!

  5. Anonymous says:

    Sacred are the white animal's I have been told by several & thru dreams of the white alligator. Beautiful!

  6. Anonymous says:

    I love hearing the raven. Such a majestic bird. I was told it brought light to the darkness of the world. And a sign of the beginning of the end. Summer rayne

  7. Anonymous says:

    You will never see such a majestic and beautiful bird as the white raven. It's a blessing of the beginning of the end. Summer Rayne till we meet again

  8. Anonymous says:

    I love hearing the raven. Such a majestic bird. I was told it brought light to the darkness of the world. And a sign of the beginning of the end. Summer rayne

  9. Incredible beauty. Stay safe from the greed of man, little ones.

  10. Anonymous says:

    I have a black couple in my woods. I never cease to be joyed by the sound of their wings pulsing the air, as they fly through the trees..

  11. Anonymous says:

    It looks like a bird from a fairy tale!

  12. Denna says:

    Such a stunning and beautiful creature. Not albino, as the photographer defines. And, Ravens are monogamous so there should be more for future generations. What an experience to see a video of it and what a wondrous site to be able to see it in person.

  13. While it may result from a genetic defect, the results are quite beautiful and extraordinary. One can only hope that doesn't mean it becomes a target for the lust and greediness of man who has yet to find a thing of beauty he didn't kill and claim solely as his own.

  14. Unknown says:

    Where can it be found

  15. leon says:

    God lets us in on his miracles....

  16. Gabriel Rosa, There is only one male white rhino left on the face of the Earth, yet he too is all over the internet as well. There are only three females known to be in existence and the male is unable to procreate, so when these remaining four are gone, the species will be extinct. Once again, humans played a huge role in yet another extinction of an entire species. Apparently, humans won't be happy until they have successfully wiped out the entire planet. It's times like these when I feel fortunate for being old and having the bulk of my life behind me. It means I likely won't be around to see much more of the devastation brought on by my own species.

  17. pilvikki says:

    what an elegant bird!

  18. Unknown says:

    It must be such a thrill to see this wonderful creature in the wild.

  19. BirdLover says:

    Wonderful to see such beautiful photos of the white raven. Thank you.

  20. Anonymous says:

    The White Ravens of Qualicum Beach, Vancouver. ...
    | Wallace Gardens
    wallacegardens.tumblr.com

  21. grady says:

    Feed and Shoot pictures of one partial white crow here in Hope Ranch, CA

  22. Debra Witte, From the text: ["The white birds are believed to number in the single digits locally, born from a single pair of black common ravens with a rare genetic defect. They are considered leucistic, with reduced pigmentation, rather than albino, since they have some colour in their eyes."] Debra, I guess that would wholly depend on who you are asking that particular question. I find them quite beautiful myself, but to a scientist studying only the chromosomal makeup of these birds they would be an anomaly and therefore defective.

  23. Anonymous says:

    Would it be possible to use one of your photos for our "birds" section of our web site. We have a large data base of birds found in the desert and none of the white raven. There is one in the Mojave Desert, but no usable photos. Here's the page on our web site, where you can contact us. http://www.in-the-desert.com/birds.html This message is from the publisher of the web site, Don Gilmore

  24. Unknown says:

    I heard the Dingo call, call out my name, in the night time,
    On the cold desert wind. She cried
    "we of the Dog Tribe, we been in this land now for a long long time..
    way long before the Tribe of Men!
    We've always lived in Her sacred place, warmed by her embrace.
    You say we are your best friend, well no we ain't!
    You're a disgrace and we of the animal tribes say,
    IF YOU CAN'T LOOK AFTER HER ANY BETTER - WE WANT HER BACK!

  25. Unknown says:

    any white animal is considered sacred by Native Americans and Native Canadians, <3 the pictures and thanks for sharing

  26. Bytemaster: an anomoly is just an anomoly. An objective scientist regards statistics statistically, not teleologically. The term "defect" implies there is something that an organism is "supposed to" be like. That is not a scientific concept, it is teleological and ultimately theological. The idea that there are purposes in nature, that things are "supposed to" be a certain way implies intent and design. Lots of scientists import these biases into their writing, but properly speaking if 1% of birds are white and the other 99% are black, that's just the numbers of it. It shows a rate of variation and a variation is not a defect unless you add the idea of purpose to it. But any scientist who said something like "This ought to have been black but failed and turned out white" is going beyond the facts and importing value-statements. Objectively, they should be saying "It is most common for members of this species to be black but this one possesses a genetic variation that makes it white instead." "Variation" is an objective term. "Defect" is value-laden and implies intent/plan/design, and is therefore theological, not scientific.

  27. Awesome

  28. Unknown says:

    waiting to see a black polar bear!!! But great pictures of a rarety!

  29. Anonymous says:

    I have a white raven tattoo on my shoulder. I got it about 10 years ago. It is a symbol of Branwen, one of the 3 major goddesses of Welsh mythology.

  30. Anonymous says:

    The second to last picture is concerning it looks like it's been wounded. The feathers should be covering that webbing and the usually are connected along top of the wing.

  31. Margo says:

    There's a white Orca around the area of Vancouver Island, and in answer to the person wanting to see a black polar bear that could happen as they are mixing it up grizzlies, and just maybe a black bear too, Black bears also have the beauty of the white Spirit Bear.

Write a comment

Stats

Archives

Pages