A rare white crow perched in a tree caught one person's attention, but it wasn't just the bird's striking color that stood out. Its noticeable limp left the observer concerned enough to share photos on Reddit and ask for advice.
What happened?
A user on Reddit shared that they had seen an albino crow outside their office and believed the bird might be injured.
"It looked hurt and was limping, while the other crows were cawing around it," they wrote.
"My friend spotted another albino crow with it yesterday in a nest. Now we're wondering if the other albino will come back to an empty nest and become a depressed widow since crows generally mate for life. What are the odds two albino crows found each other in the city."
Why does it matter?
Crows are among the most familiar wild animals in many cities, thriving alongside people in parks, neighborhoods, and parking lots. But even in urban environments, they still face many of the same challenges as other wildlife, including injuries, predators, and disease.
If a crow is injured, as this one appears to be, it can have a much harder time finding food, escaping predators, potentially reducing its chances of survival. Plus, the original poster was concerned about the crow's mate.
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What are people saying?
Luckily, users in the comment section noted that the situation was not necessarily as tragic as it first appeared.
One person wrote, "If I had to guess, [the two crows] are probably siblings that have just left their nest. You may want to reach out to a wildlife rehab if you believe the crow is injured."
While being related seems likely, as albinism is an autosomal recessive trait that is more likely to be seen in siblings, another tried to reassure the original poster that if the two animals are mates, one dying early does not doom the other to solitude: "They are not like swans though. They do seek new partners, if their mate dies."
Others kept their reactions simple and upbeat: "Crows are smart. Hope they can figure it out."
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