Leucy - Leucistic Red-tailed Hawk

This extremely elusive Leucistic Red-tailed Hawk was caught off guard while I finally got to take aim at semi-close range. It always flushes, but not too quick today! I love his wing pattern which seems so symetrical for a leucy...

NOTE: Alot of us locals know about the leucistic red-tailed hawk ("Whitey") in Channahon IL which has been photo'd by many. This one is about 20-ish miles from him.

Leucism is a condition characterized by reduced pigmentation in animals. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in all types of skin pigment, not just melanin.

Leucistic Red-tailed Hawk

On some very rare occasions, I run into this leucistic Red-tailed Hawk. He is quite shy, so when I am in his territory, I am always fixing my camera settings for his stark white plumage and crank down the exposure compensation about -2/3's. I saw him in pursuit of a lady, so I stayed in the area just in case he came back. He did, but not very close. I stayed put and watched. He caught some pray, ate it and flew to a new perch but was still not close. I then saw him disappear behind a house, flying really low. I was hoping he landed. He did, he was in a pasture just a few yards from the road. I did a turn-around to put him in view through my drivers-side window and approached, ready to shoot. Now with hawks, you have about 3 seconds before they take flight, and I know this, but it seems every time, I think I can get away with getting a better view and blow the posed shot. I just gained focus when he took off. The last shot featured here is the first shot with him. Oh well, another day my white friend...another day.






Leucism (occasionally spelled leukism) is a general term for the phenotype resulting from defects in pigment cell differentiation and/or migration from the neural crest to skin, hair or feathers during development. This results in either the entire surface (if all pigment cells fail to develop) or patches of body surface (if only a subset are defective) having a lack of cells capable of making pigment.

If you look at the crown/nape of this guys head (best represented in the first photo), you can see a dark pigmented area. Also, there is only 1 tail feather that is red (best represented in the 3rd photo), which is why I know its a red-tailed hawk. I know he is a "he" only because I saw him mating, so it was obvious he was a boy. I have photo'd him for more than 6 years so I fear his life left on earth won't be long, so every opportunity I get, I put in plenty of wait time in the field, because he is definately worth the patience it takes.

You can see other shots I've taken, by checking my labels for "white hawk" found on the right side of the template.

Oh, Poo Poo on Me!

I happened across this leucistic Red-tailed Hawk on Saturday, whom I've shot many times and just can't seem to pass by, especially when he is perched pretty close.





So I am firing away, when all of a sudden, he seemed to be wanting to tell me something as he lifts his tail and ...





Well you get the picture, he didn't want his picture taken anymore, so he sent me a farewell gift and flew off! It was quite rude...but very funny!

Flight of the Great White Hawk

I've posted plenty of times about this leucistic red-tailed hawk. It's an amazing creature, and every time I see it, I feel very lucky indeed. So, once again, I introduce the Great White Hawk!



I always look for color pigmentation when it flies. The patch on top of it's head is seen most of the time (not here), but the tail feathers are not.



These shots do not give the right angle to showcase the tail feathers, although you can barely see through and see very slight coloring.

The Great White Hawk

I ran across the secretly famous "White Hawk" yesterday. He is a leucistic Red-tailed Hawk, with a small dark patch on the back of his head and a few of the tail feathers being the characteric red. I've photographed him many times, but each and every time is very special. I've seen him for over 4 years now, but have no idea just how old he or she might be. Lifespans of Red-tailed Hawks are 10-25 years in the wild. This is the first time I have captured him with a meal. What an awesome creature!






I think the meal is a squirrel.

The White Red-tail Hawk

I am always in awe when I drive to a certain park and along the way, I look for this hawk perched in a tree in the distance. I can find him most of the time, given his stark white coloring, sticking out like a sore thumb. On this day, he was pretty close to the road, so I got lucky!




He is not albino in the truest sense because of his patch of coloring on the crown of his head. He also has a just few tail feathers (not visible at this angle) that are the typical rust coloring of a red-tail hawk.



Leucism (or Leukism)
Leucism is a very unusual condition whereby the pigmentation cells in an animal or bird fail to develop properly. This can result in unusual white patches appearing on the animal, or, more rarely, completely white creatures.

Albinism is a different condition. The easiest way to tell the difference between the two is that in albinism the eyes are usually pink or red, and albinism affects the entire animal, not just patches.

To see details, click on picture to enlarge.