While frequently reported in birds, albinism is only rarely observed in cryptically colored avian species such as owls. These images represent—to the best of our knowledge—the first reported case of incomplete albinism in the Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo). The female protagonist of this story (hereafter, Blanquita) was first observed as a 40-day-old owlet in a nest within the “Monte El Valle y Sierras de Altaona y Escalona” Special Protection Area of the Natura 2000 network (Province of Murcia, southeastern Spain). This observation occurred in 2020 during a routine field visit to ring (band) eagle owl chicks as part of a long-term monitoring project. Blanquita was the single abnormally colored owlet within a brood of four chicks from parents with the typical eagle owl coloration. At the fledgling stage, Blanquita was tagged with a VHF radio transmitter. After ten months of weekly radio-tracking, its carcass was found 20 km west of the natal territory, on a foothill within suitable habitat characterized by a high density of conspecifics, and showed signs of mammal scavenging. Unfortunately, the premature death of Blanquita precluded any in-depth research on potential albinism-mediated intraspecific conflicts in relation to eagle owl social organization (that is, mate selection and breeding). Its short lifespan highlights the challenge for conspicuous aberrantly colored owls in maintaining camouflage at daily roosting sites, as they are more vulnerable to detection by predators.

虽然在鸟类中经常报道白化病，但在猫头鹰等神秘颜色的鸟类物种中却很少观察到白化病。据我们所知，这些图像代表了首次报道的欧亚雕鸮（Bubo bubo）不完全白化病病例。这个故事的女主人公（以下简称布兰基塔）首次在 Natura 2000 网络（穆尔西亚省）“Monte El Valle y Sierras de Altaona y Escalona”特别保护区内的巢穴中被发现时，是一只 40 天大的猫头鹰。 ，西班牙东南部）。这一观察结果发生在 2020 年，作为长期监测项目的一部分，对环雕鸮雏鸟进行例行实地考察。布兰基塔是一窝中唯一一只颜色异常的猫头鹰，它的父母有四只小猫头鹰，它们的颜色具有典型的雕鸮颜色。在刚刚起步的阶段，布兰基塔被贴上了甚高频无线电发射器的标签。经过十个月的每周无线电跟踪，它的尸体在出生地以西 20 公里处被发现，位于适宜栖息地的山麓上，该栖息地的特点是高密度的同种动物，并显示出哺乳动物食腐的迹象。不幸的是，布兰基塔的过早死亡阻止了对与雕鸮社会组织（即配偶选择和繁殖）相关的潜在白化病介导的种内冲突的深入研究。它的短暂寿命凸显了颜色异常的猫头鹰在日常栖息地保持伪装所面临的挑战，因为它们更容易被捕食者发现。