Every once in a while, somebody will spot a white or partially white animal roaming about the nearby woods or fields or maybe even their backyard. Just recently, my friend George Burgett informed me he and his wife saw a white or mostly white robin in their backyard — indeed a pretty rare sighting. It makes me wonder, how many people reading this have ever seen a white robin or any other white songbird for that matter?

When I think about the critters that roam about our state and most other states, I do not picture animals with white fur, feathers, scales, and skin. There’s a good reason white isn’t featured on most animals — it’s not exactly a good choice for camouflage; obviously color plays a big part in helping wildlife survive. True, there are some rare exceptions like the snowshoe hare that changes to white in the winter, but most animals do well maintaining their natural colors throughout the year.

My own list of white or partially white animal sightings in the wild is pretty short. I once encountered a pure white, red squirrel while turkey hunting. On a couple of occasions while archery hunting, I spotted piebald or partially white deer; I even missed one with my recurve bow many years ago; over the years, since I’ve seen several more piebalds.

So, when we spot one of those rare white or partially white critters, the question comes up, “What has happened that this animal is not it’s normal coloration?” I actually did a little research to see what I could find out and to be honest, some of the explanations and definitions got a little overwhelming, so here it is in a nutshell. Basically, the white we see in our wildlife is either the result of Piebaldism or Albinism.

Piebaldism is a genetic condition, typically present at birth, and resulting in white patches or lack of color. It is a recessive genetic trait; therefore, both parents must carry the recessive gene for there to be a chance to produce piebald offspring. It is believed that likely less than one percent of the entire whitetail deer population will ever show up as piebalds.

Interestingly enough, as I mentioned in one of my past articles, this past hunting season, I know of a buck piebald and a doe piebald that were both taken within a short distance of my home. The amount of white showing can vary considerably from nearly all white to just some small patches of white. Many animals can exhibit Piebaldism, including humans and all mammals, songbirds, and even snakes. More often than not, a piebald will stand out more than normal, thus making the animal more of a target for predators, no doubt resulting in shorter life spans.

Albinism is a bit different; it’s a congenital absence of any pigmentation or coloration resulting in white hair, feathers, scales, and skin and also includes pink eyes due to a lack of pigment in the iris. The lack of pigment in the iris allows blood vessels of the retina to be visible, thus the pink eye. Albinism can occur in all animals, including humans.

Again Albinism, like Piebaldism, can lead to some survival problems for the animals that have it. Alligators that have it lack the necessary protection from UV radiation, and they lack the necessary camouflage to avoid predators. Albinism is believed to be even rarer than Piebaldism.

Hopefully, I’ve shed some light on the “white.” Keep your eyes open for one of those rare sightings.