Snow bird - Alberto Fantoni - Wildlife Photographer of the Year2007

2007: 11-14 Years - Highly Commended

Alberto Fantoni Enlarge image Snow bird

Alberto Fantoni (Italy)

Snow bird

'I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this white blackbird near my home in Lombardy, Italy. It seemed a little bit edgy - perhaps it knew it looked very conspicuous. I started to feed it, thinking how winter was the perfect background for the white bird's survival and the perfect backdrop for a picture.' Males live up to their name, but female blackbirds are brown. Although albinism is a rare mutation, albino or piebald (partially white) blackbirds are occasionally seen visiting gardens. But their chances of long-term survival are not great - conspicuous plumage makes them an easy target for predators such as sparrowhawks.

Nikon D70s + Nikon 300mm f4 lens; 1/640 sec at f5.6.