Photo by Happy Snapper
Dusk is a melanistic barn owl, she is the opposite of an albino. This rare gene mutation occurs 1 in 100,000 with none surviving in the wild. Dusk was hatched in a falconry centre in Lincolnshire and now lives at the owl sanctuary at Winterton, Norfolk…
I’m surprised he wouldn’t survive in the wild - he seems quite well camouflaged. I suppose it must come with some health issues.
That’s my initial thought. The leukistic owls, where they end up all white, also do very poorly and are usually blind to some extent. It usually seems there is more than just the generic switch for color that gets flipped the wrong way.
Toasty barn owl!
Flip halfway through to ensure even browning.
I would make a joke about sooty owls but they’re more of a greyish color
I’m charmed <3