Extremely Rare Yellow Cardinal Has Been Photographed In Alabama

February 28, 2018

A resident of Alabaster, Alabama noticed an extremely rare bird at her bird feeder in January.

"I thought 'Well there's a bird I've never seen before,'" Charlie Stephenson told AL.com. "Then I realized it was a cardinal, and it was a yellow cardinal."

yellow cardinal alabama
Credit: Jeremy Black Photography

Jeremy Black, a professional photographer who is friends with Stephenson, saw she posted about the bird on Facebook and asked if he could come over and photograph it.

On Feb. 19, Black snapped the shot of a lifetime after about five hours of waiting.

yellow cardinal alabama
Credit: Jeremy Black Photography

"This evening I got lucky enough to spot the rare yellow cardinal again in Alabaster, Alabama. I'm so grateful to be able to share these portraits with you all!" Jeremy wrote on Facebook.

According to Auburn University biology professor Geoffrey Hill, the bird carries a genetic mutation that causes its normally bright red feathers to instead be a brilliant shade of yellow.

Hill said the mutation is so rare that he has never seen one in person.

"I've been birdwatching in the range of cardinals for 40 years and I've never seen a yellow bird in the wild," he said.

Hill says that yellow cardinals are a "one in a million mutation."

Watch a video of the rare bird below.


Click Here For The Most Popular On Sunny Skyz

feel good videoFootball Player Asks Friend With Down Syndrome To Homecoming

feel good storiesRick Astley Reveals What He’s Most Proud Of – And It’s Not The Music

feel good storiesThe Quantum Tunnelers: How Three Scientists Made The Subatomic World Practical

feel good storiesWoman Is Late to Her Own Funeral After Hearse Keys Get Locked Inside

feel good storiesPeople Are Sharing Their Oddly Romantic Date Stories, And They’ll Make You Smile So Big

feel good storiesThis Pit Bull Was Days Away From Being Euthanized. Now, He's A Police Hero

feel good videoDad's 'Llama Llama Red Pajama' Rap Wins The Internet

feel good videoDidn't Get The Life You Wanted? Woman’s Street Interview Is Inspiring The Internet

feel good videoOtter Attacks Surfer, Then Steals Her Surfboard

feel good videoWoman Leaving Gym Finds A Dog Staring At Her

feel good videoMan Compliments Elderly Strangers, Then Gives Them Flowers. Their Reactions Are So Wholesome

Chris Filippou 12:17 PM (3 minutes ago) to me