Rare Albino Cardinals Turn Up at Washington Boro Wildlife Center

A wildlife rehabilitation center in Washington Boro, Lancaster County, has cared for two extremely rare albino cardinals in recent months, an occurrence the facility says defies extraordinary odds.

Raven Ridge Wildlife Center took in the first bird, since named “Frosty,” in July after he was found injured inside a box beneath a car. Staff didn’t immediately realize what they had. “It wasn’t until we opened the box that we realized it was, in fact, an albino Cardinal. The chances of seeing an albino cardinal are extremely low,” the center wrote in a Facebook post last week.

According to Raven Ridge, the odds of spotting a cardinal with white feathering are roughly 1 in 30,000, but true albinism, which involves a complete lack of pigmentation, is rarer still.

Not long after Frosty arrived, the center admitted a second albino cardinal, this one suffering from a severe ear infection. “Not only is it rare to see one albino cardinal, but we also admitted a second albino cardinal; we couldn’t believe that now we had two!” the center wrote. Despite the rescue team’s efforts, the second bird, which was never named, did not survive.

“However, our team was pleasantly surprised and thrilled to have the opportunity to work with both Cardinals,” the center said.

Staff noted that albino cardinals face steep survival challenges in the wild. Their white plumage makes them highly visible to predators, and the birds’ reddish eyes, a result of missing melanin, can also impair their vision. Typical male cardinals display bright red feathers with a black face mask, while females are pale brown with reddish accents on the crest, wings and tail.

Frosty, meanwhile, is thriving in captivity. The center said he “has developed quite the personality” and will need to remain in human care permanently, since his chances of surviving on his own would be slim. “He is starting to molt and is showing more color in different areas,” Raven Ridge Wildlife Center said.

The center described the experience as an unusual and valuable one for its staff. “This experience has been a valuable learning opportunity for our team, and we are grateful for the chance to work with this special Cardinal,” it said.