Extremely rare 'one in a million' yellow cardinal is spotted in Alabama
A rare yellow cardinal has been spotted in Shelby County, Alabama
Cardinals are known for their red color, but yellow cardinals appear to lack the enzyme that turns their plumage crimson
Wedding photographer Jeremy Black recently took pictures of the rare bird in a friend's backyard
Auburn University biology Professor Geoffrey Hill called it a 'one in a million' mutation
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A 'one in a million' yellow cardinal has been spotted in Shelby County, Alabama.
Alabaster resident Charlie Stephenson first noticed the bird eating out of her backyard feeder in late January, and posted about it on Facebook.
A friend, wedding photographer Jeremy Black, saw the post and asked Stephenson if he could camp out in her back yard to try and get some pictures of the rare bird.
'As soon as I saw it on her social media, I was kind of curious and I wanted to go explore and see if I could find it,' Black told AL.com.
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Stephenson invited Black over on February 19, and after waiting five hours, the photographer was able to snap pictures of the elusive bird.
'I started out sitting in her backyard hoping that maybe I would see it. A lot of cardinals came by and none of them were yellow, so I decided to be a little bit more evasive and hide on her screened-in porch. About two or three hours after I moved to the porch, it finally showed up,' he said.
Cardinals are known for their bright red plumage, but yellow cardinals carry a genetic mutation that makes their feathers yellow, said Auburn University biology Professor Geoffrey Hill.
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I've been birdwatching in the range of cardinals for 40 years and I've never seen a yellow bird in the wild,' Hill said. 'I would estimate that in any given year there are two or three yellow cardinals at backyard feeding stations somewhere in the U.S. or Canada.
'There are probably a million bird feeding stations in that area so very very roughly, yellow cardinals are a one in a million mutation.'
Black says he wants to take even more photos of the bird - ideally next to a regular red cardinal for contrast.
'My current goal is to try and visit her backyard or neighborhood as frequently as possible and see if I can get that shot with both birds together,' Black said.
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A rare yellow cardinal has been spotted in Shelby County, Alabama
Cardinals are known for their red color, but yellow cardinals appear to lack the enzyme that turns their plumage crimson
Wedding photographer Jeremy Black recently took pictures of the rare bird in a friend's backyard
Auburn University biology Professor Geoffrey Hill called it a 'one in a million' mutation
$$$$
A 'one in a million' yellow cardinal has been spotted in Shelby County, Alabama.
Alabaster resident Charlie Stephenson first noticed the bird eating out of her backyard feeder in late January, and posted about it on Facebook.
A friend, wedding photographer Jeremy Black, saw the post and asked Stephenson if he could camp out in her back yard to try and get some pictures of the rare bird.
'As soon as I saw it on her social media, I was kind of curious and I wanted to go explore and see if I could find it,' Black told AL.com.
$$$$
image
Stephenson invited Black over on February 19, and after waiting five hours, the photographer was able to snap pictures of the elusive bird.
'I started out sitting in her backyard hoping that maybe I would see it. A lot of cardinals came by and none of them were yellow, so I decided to be a little bit more evasive and hide on her screened-in porch. About two or three hours after I moved to the porch, it finally showed up,' he said.
Cardinals are known for their bright red plumage, but yellow cardinals carry a genetic mutation that makes their feathers yellow, said Auburn University biology Professor Geoffrey Hill.
I've been birdwatching in the range of cardinals for 40 years and I've never seen a yellow bird in the wild,' Hill said. 'I would estimate that in any given year there are two or three yellow cardinals at backyard feeding stations somewhere in the U.S. or Canada.
'There are probably a million bird feeding stations in that area so very very roughly, yellow cardinals are a one in a million mutation.'
Black says he wants to take even more photos of the bird - ideally next to a regular red cardinal for contrast.
'My current goal is to try and visit her backyard or neighborhood as frequently as possible and see if I can get that shot with both birds together,' Black said.
$$$$
Extremely rare 'one in a million' yellow cardinal is spotted in Alabama
A rare yellow cardinal has been spotted in Shelby County, Alabama
Cardinals are known for their red color, but yellow cardinals appear to lack the enzyme that turns their plumage crimson
Wedding photographer Jeremy Black recently took pictures of the rare bird in a friend's backyard
Auburn University biology Professor Geoffrey Hill called it a 'one in a million' mutation
$$$$
A 'one in a million' yellow cardinal has been spotted in Shelby County, Alabama.
Alabaster resident Charlie Stephenson first noticed the bird eating out of her backyard feeder in late January, and posted about it on Facebook.
A friend, wedding photographer Jeremy Black, saw the post and asked Stephenson if he could camp out in her back yard to try and get some pictures of the rare bird.
'As soon as I saw it on her social media, I was kind of curious and I wanted to go explore and see if I could find it,' Black told AL.com.
image
$$$$
image
Stephenson invited Black over on February 19, and after waiting five hours, the photographer was able to snap pictures of the elusive bird.
'I started out sitting in her backyard hoping that maybe I would see it. A lot of cardinals came by and none of them were yellow, so I decided to be a little bit more evasive and hide on her screened-in porch. About two or three hours after I moved to the porch, it finally showed up,' he said.
Cardinals are known for their bright red plumage, but yellow cardinals carry a genetic mutation that makes their feathers yellow, said Auburn University biology Professor Geoffrey Hill.
image
I've been birdwatching in the range of cardinals for 40 years and I've never seen a yellow bird in the wild,' Hill said. 'I would estimate that in any given year there are two or three yellow cardinals at backyard feeding stations somewhere in the U.S. or Canada.
'There are probably a million bird feeding stations in that area so very very roughly, yellow cardinals are a one in a million mutation.'
Black says he wants to take even more photos of the bird - ideally next to a regular red cardinal for contrast.
'My current goal is to try and visit her backyard or neighborhood as frequently as possible and see if I can get that shot with both birds together,' Black said.
$$$$
A rare yellow cardinal has been spotted in Shelby County, Alabama
Cardinals are known for their red color, but yellow cardinals appear to lack the enzyme that turns their plumage crimson
Wedding photographer Jeremy Black recently took pictures of the rare bird in a friend's backyard
Auburn University biology Professor Geoffrey Hill called it a 'one in a million' mutation
$$$$
A 'one in a million' yellow cardinal has been spotted in Shelby County, Alabama.
Alabaster resident Charlie Stephenson first noticed the bird eating out of her backyard feeder in late January, and posted about it on Facebook.
A friend, wedding photographer Jeremy Black, saw the post and asked Stephenson if he could camp out in her back yard to try and get some pictures of the rare bird.
'As soon as I saw it on her social media, I was kind of curious and I wanted to go explore and see if I could find it,' Black told AL.com.
$$$$
image
Stephenson invited Black over on February 19, and after waiting five hours, the photographer was able to snap pictures of the elusive bird.
'I started out sitting in her backyard hoping that maybe I would see it. A lot of cardinals came by and none of them were yellow, so I decided to be a little bit more evasive and hide on her screened-in porch. About two or three hours after I moved to the porch, it finally showed up,' he said.
Cardinals are known for their bright red plumage, but yellow cardinals carry a genetic mutation that makes their feathers yellow, said Auburn University biology Professor Geoffrey Hill.
I've been birdwatching in the range of cardinals for 40 years and I've never seen a yellow bird in the wild,' Hill said. 'I would estimate that in any given year there are two or three yellow cardinals at backyard feeding stations somewhere in the U.S. or Canada.
'There are probably a million bird feeding stations in that area so very very roughly, yellow cardinals are a one in a million mutation.'
Black says he wants to take even more photos of the bird - ideally next to a regular red cardinal for contrast.
'My current goal is to try and visit her backyard or neighborhood as frequently as possible and see if I can get that shot with both birds together,' Black said.
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