Nanoose Bay bird expert and photographer Mike Yip believes there are two sets of parents producing white ravens in the Parksville Qualicum Beach area.
On May 14, resident Bridget Flynn discovered a white raven with its four siblings in Coombs and informed Yip. He was able to take photos of the fledgling white raven on May 16.
Yip said he heard another report of a white raven in the area but was not able to track it down until an injured white raven was found and taken to the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre in Errington in late May. It confirmed YipB次元官网网址檚 hunch that there is another set of parents producing white ravens in the area.
READ MORE:
B次元官网网址淭o have one pair of common ravens producing white offspring is rare,B次元官网网址 said Yip. B次元官网网址淗aving two pairs is incredible.B次元官网网址
Yip indicated the white ravens in the area are leucistic and are able to produce melanin as evidenced by the blue colour in their eyes.
B次元官网网址淟eucism is hereditary so for every white raven produced, there is the possibility of two black siblings that carry the same recessive mutated gene,B次元官网网址 Yip explained. B次元官网网址淥ver the course of 20 years there could be as many as 40 black ravens with the recessive gene. It would just be a matter of time before two of them mated.B次元官网网址
Yip also pointed out that leucism can also produced other factors such as disease.
B次元官网网址淲ithout a DNA sample it is difficult to say if the injured raven is a product of heredity,B次元官网网址 said Yip. B次元官网网址淚f it is, then there is the possibility of twice as many white ravens in coming years.B次元官网网址
Meanwhile the injured white raven that is now under the care of the recovery centre is on the mend, according to animal care technician Derek Downes.
B次元官网网址淭he white raven has completed its course of antibiotics and its body condition is slowly starting to improve,B次元官网网址 said Downes. B次元官网网址淎s well it has started to pick at food on its own.B次元官网网址
There is no current timetable as to when the bird may be released back into the wild.
For more news from Vancouver Island and beyond delivered daily into your inbox, please .
Like us on and follow us on