Ino Little Owl
I have just had this information from Hein Van Grouw from the Natural History Museum, after requesting some pictures of this bird: He is the museum's expert on these kinds of birds.
As the bird is clearly not a juvenile, so in other words; this bird is independent and able to source its own food, it must be an Ino rather than an Albino. Albino birds have a very poor eye sight due to the total lack of melanin pigment in their eyes. In Inos there is still a little bit melanin left, in both the eyes and the plumage. In the plumage this pale coloured melanin rapidly bleaches further in the sun light and soon the bird appears to be fully white. The remaining melanin in the eyes, however, is enough to keep a proper eye sight and therefore Ino birds do not have a problem with their vision and often survive very well for a long time.
I knew about an Ino Long-eared owl who lived for years in a certain area (in the Netherlands) and even reared a nest of youngsters every year.
Ino Little Owl
I have just had this information from Hein Van Grouw from the Natural History Museum, after requesting some pictures of this bird: He is the museum's expert on these kinds of birds.
As the bird is clearly not a juvenile, so in other words; this bird is independent and able to source its own food, it must be an Ino rather than an Albino. Albino birds have a very poor eye sight due to the total lack of melanin pigment in their eyes. In Inos there is still a little bit melanin left, in both the eyes and the plumage. In the plumage this pale coloured melanin rapidly bleaches further in the sun light and soon the bird appears to be fully white. The remaining melanin in the eyes, however, is enough to keep a proper eye sight and therefore Ino birds do not have a problem with their vision and often survive very well for a long time.
I knew about an Ino Long-eared owl who lived for years in a certain area (in the Netherlands) and even reared a nest of youngsters every year.