Date: 3/16/26 1:40 pm From: Jorgensen, Joel via groups.io <Joel.Jorgensen...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Albino Sandhill Crane
Yeah, I’ll go along with Laurel. There were 2 single Whooping Cranes bopping around the Alda-Grand Island Area for a while in March with the first appearing on the early date of 25 February. Similar to most years, leucistic Sandhill Cranes have also been seen and reported as Whooping Cranes. Many leucistic Sandhill Cranes look a little dingy, but Tobin’s bird looks especially white (and pretty) and probably closer to pure albinism than most.
Joel
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Joel Jorgensen | Nongame Bird Program Manager | Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
2200 N 33rd St. | Lincoln, NE 68503 | <joel.jorgensen...><mailto:<joel.jorgensen...> | 402-471-5440
From: <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...> On Behalf Of Badura, Laurel via groups.io
Sent: Monday, March 16, 2026 3:26 PM
To: <NEBirds...>
Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Albino Sandhill Crane
I think different birds. I have seen a WHCR in with sandhills in the Alda area and there were two WHCRs east of the Alda bridge (south side of river) last week. Not sure about a whooping crane at Rowe though.
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Tobin,
Great photo and thanks sharing. I have heard reports at the Crane Trust Center, Rowe, and others that they have seen a singleton WHCR. Seeing your photo I wonder if this is the bird they have seen.
Yesterday morning we observed a really cool bird from the Rowe Sanctuary "Sandbar" (far west) Blind.
The early rays of sunlight revealed a fully white crane. At first I was thinking Whooping Crane, but it wasn't tall enough. As the sun came out more, I in was able to notice the head pattern of a Sandhill. Eventually it made it's way to the front of the group where we could see pinkish yellow legs. The bill and facial skin also had this yellow color, lacking any dark pigment. In flight, the wingtips were pure white, not a hint of gray, and from a distance, the eye appeared completely dark (albinos have a dark red eye). This makes me think it's actually a true albino instead of the slightly more "common" leucistic bird.
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Let me know what you think, and keep an eye out for this bird if you're near Rowe! Another observer said they saw it earlier in a field southwest of the sanctuary. More photos are on my ebird checklist.
