Albino Magpie in Kangaloon

Today, at Kangaloon (dairy-farming country near Robertson)  I was able to get a photo of an unusual bird which I have seen in the distance on several occasions over three months. I had though that perhaps it was a Corella with a deformed beak (I supposed it might have severe Beak and Feather Disease, if it was indeed a Corella.) It turned out not to be a Corella, but an Albino Magpie.

Albino Magpie at Kangaloon 7 Jan 2012

I had never been close enough 

to get a proper ID of the bird, until today.
 

It turned out to be a large specimen of a Magpie, 

and quite confident. 

It walked across the paddock into the shade, 

where it was relatively close to me.

It has pink beak, pink legs and white eyes.
A dead-set full albino.
It was successfully feeding on large insect larvae in the paddock.

Albino Magpie successfully feeding in the paddock.

I spoke with a woman who lives nearby, and she knows the bird, and said it had been around for about 6 years.
 

It is apparently very "bossy" when it comes to dealing with other Magpies.
(She had hand-raised several foundling juveniles about 3 years ago, and this bird had "come around" while her charges were still being fed).

So, from that, we know that it is surviving OK in the field.
It is at least 4 years old, possibly as much as 6, though that requires further consultation with another property-owner.

Here are two other photos which Jill Keft sent me in 2008. The photos are possible even older than that. You can see that, compared to a standard coloured male Magpie, it is a relatively large bird.

Jill Keft's photo circa 2008, Albino and natural colour forms.

Jill Keft's photo of Albino Magpie, circa 2008

So, this bird is surviving well in the wild, despite the stories one hears of albino birds and animals having low survival rates, owing to their high visibility, and being ostracised by other members of their species.