Pure white sparrow mutation or Kanagawa Fujisawa January 23 16:52

A sparrow with an unusually white body, found nationwide in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, is delighting birders visiting for observation.

According to the Fujisawa Tori Club, a local bird lover, you can see white sparrows near the rice fields along the Hikiji River in Fujisawa City last month.

Images captured by NHK's camera on the 22nd show that the size is not different from a normal individual, but the body is covered with white feathers and the beak is pale pink.

White sparrows were mixed with the flocks to spike the rice ears and rest on the trees and wires to rest their wings.

Bird birds are also visiting the area to observe white sparrows, and Shichirou Noji, a neighbor who loves taking pictures of wild birds, has taken over 100 pictures of white sparrows.

In the photo of the moment when the white sparrow flutters, you can see that each wing is white, and in the photo taken at the waterside, you can clearly see the difference from the surrounding brown sparrow.

Noji-san said, "When I was able to shoot for the first time in December of last year, I was happy to think" I did it! "

In addition, a man who came for a walk said, "White is more noticeable when flying or getting down than when it is stopped. Because I am a white sparrow I have never seen before, I am worried about watching it every day." .

Mr. Hiroyoshi Higuchi, Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo, who is familiar with the ecology of birds who confirmed the photo, said, `` Mutation is possible because brown feathers can be seen in some parts, but white feathers cover the whole, and the beaks and feet are pale. It is considered to be a whitening sparrow, called "albino", which has a small amount of pigment by nature. It is extremely rare nationwide. "

At the Fujisawa Bird Research Club, he said, "I would like to watch the bird habitat quietly."