Photographer spots rare black-&-white crow at Seletar, initially thought it to be new species

Wildlife photographer Anderson Ng was at Seletar West Farmway when he spotted a flock of crows "looking for food".

Amongst the flock, there was one crow that stood out rather distinctly with its speckled white plumage and white feathers.

In a post on the Nature Society Singapore Facebook group, Ng shared that he thought he had seen a "lifer" — a term birdwatchers use when spotting a species they haven't seen before — but realised it was a house crow upon closer inspection.

Speaking to Mothership, Ng shared that this was the first time he had seen a crow with such plumage.

Surmising that the crow may have "pigment abnormalities" that caused the change in feather colour, Ng's curiosity drove him to search about this, and concluded its unique colouration may be due to leucism.

Leucism vs albinism

According to the Bird Ecology Study Group (BESG), leucism is a condition whereby there is a lack of melanin from all, or part of the plumage in a bird, resulting in a white or pale discolouration of its feathers.

The condition can occur across many species of animals.

The condition is not the same as albinism, which suggests a complete discolouration across the entire bird's plumage, bare parts and eyes.

While partial albinism, whereby only a portion of feathers are discoloured, is common, BESG stated that it is "extremely rare" to see a fully albino bird in the wild.

Given their all-white plumage, albino birds stand out in the wild and make for easier prey.

The natural lack of pigments also cause feathers to become brittle and wear out prior to the next moult, hindering the birds' flight.

As if life isn't hard enough, albino birds may also face the problem of being unrecognisable to its prospective mates and flock, causing them to be deserted from the group and unable to mate.

Top image courtesy of Anderson Ng