KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — A patchy-colored bald eagle with a genetic condition similar to albinism has made its home in southern Oregon’s Klamath Basin.
The Herald and News reports the bald eagle is an oddity that attracts birders and photographers from around the world who flock to Klamath Falls each year for the annual Winter Wings Festival. Event organizers have nicknamed the bird “Blondie.”
The unique eagle has leucism, which causes partial pigmentation loss in animals. The rare hereditary trait results in a white or patchy appearance of skin, hair, feathers or scales. It results from a reduction in multiple forms of pigmentation.
State wildlife biologist John Muir noted that Klamath’s resident leucistic eagle is a rare sight.
He says conservation efforts have helped the bald eagle population increase in recent years.
