Cheryl Huffman feeds several hundred hummingbirds every summer at her home here in Daviess County, a hobby she’s enjoyed for more than 20 years. So, you can image the excitement when this white hummingbird paused for a moment at the nectar dispenser, allowing for this photo to be taken. Her daughter, Jennifer Simons, shared the photo to inquire about this unusual migrator with the Missouri Department of Conservation. The white coloration is caused by leucism, a condition in which there is partial loss of pigmentation resulting in white, pale, or patchy coloration of skin, hair, feathers, scales, or cuticle, but not the eyes. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in multiple types of pigment, not just melanin. According to the Conservation Department, one way you can tell the difference between a leucistic animal and an albino is that albinos have white or pink eyes. [Submitted photo]
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