Rare white vulture seen roaming Everglades. How did this ‘death bird’ get its color?

True to their reputation as a “death bird,” turkey vultures have dark feathers, blood red faces and bad dispositions.

There are rare exceptions, however, and one has been found in Florida’s Everglades.

Multiple witnesses have reported seeing a mysterious all-white bird at the southern tip of the swamp, and the National Park Service has confirmed it’s a turkey vulture.

“White turkey vultures?! Yep, you are seeing correctly!” the park wrote in a Dec. 14 Facebook post.

“This leucistic turkey vulture has been spotted in the Flamingo area of Everglades National Park in the past. Leucism is when an animal has a partial loss of pigment which results in a white or pale coloration.”

The condition is often confused with albinism, but park officials noted it’s not the same thing. Albinos have a “complete lack” of natural pigment, while leucistic animals show only a partial loss, experts said.

In this case, the vulture still has its piercing brown eyes, the park noted.

Turkey vultures are notorious for feasting on dead things and have the ability to digest anything, including fur, feathers and bones, The World Center for Birds of Prey reported.

They’re large, with a 6-foot wingspan, and can smell death from 5 miles away, experts said.

“As a defense mechanism, turkey vultures may vomit on a bird, animal, or human that gets too close. Considering what they eat, this can be a powerful weapon,” All About Birds reported.

“When it’s hot outside, turkey vultures will defecate on their feet to cool off.”

This story was originally published December 15, 2022 at 6:05 AM with the headline "Rare white vulture seen roaming Everglades. How did this ‘death bird’ get its color?."