Nobody knows why this snowy owl is orange

Julie Maggert spent four long days trying to snap the perfect picture of a snowy owl in Michigan whose unusual orange colouring has left scientists baffled. 

The amateur wildlife photographer was sitting in traffic, driving between scouting locations, when she finally spotted the bird, which she has nicknamed Creamsicle, perched on a utility pole.

“When I first seen her up there, I was like, no way,” Maggert of Mount Pleasant, Mich., told As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal.

“My adrenaline was pumping and I was shaking because I was so excited. And I’m like, I have to have all my camera settings just perfect. And I got her.”

Maggert says the shots are her proudest photographic achievement. She’s been shooting photos of snowy owls for six years, and has never seen one like this. 

Bird experts agree Creamsicle is rare — and potentially even unique  — in its colouring. But they disagree about what’s behind the orange feathers. 

Maybe it’s born with it

Karen Cleveland, wildlife biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, says they first started getting reports of the orange snowy owl about two months ago, and have been tracking it since. 

“Among the most likely explanations are genetic mutation, accidental staining, and deliberate staining,” said Cleveland, wildlife biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which is tracking the bird.

“Deliberate staining is generally either explained by marking done for scientific research purposes or marking done by nefarious miscreants for reasons known only to themselves.”

The theory of genetic mutation was first proffered by Kevin McGraw, a biologist at Michigan State University who has written a book about bird colouration.

He told local media outlet Michigan Live that Creamsicle’s rusty plumage could be an expression of genes that are normally “downregulated,” but were triggered by an environmental stressor, like pollution, heavy metal contamination or pesticides.

But several other bird experts have expressed skepticism about that theory.

Auburn University ornithologist Geoffrey Hill, who co-authored a book with McGraw about bird colouration, told the New York Times that if it was a genetic mutation, he would only expect to see the reddish orange on the parts of the bird that are normally black. 

“The pigmentation is not very symmetrical and appears on the parts of a normal snowy owl that are white,” he said. 

Ornithologist David Bird, a retired professor at Montreal’s McGill University, says McGraw is an expert and his theory makes some sense, but he also has his doubts. 

“There would have to be some sort of gene in the genetic makeup of snowy owls to cause that blatant orange colour, which means that we would historically have seen some snowies with a bit of orange on their plumage at some point,” he said in an email.

But Bird says he’s never heard of another snowy owl with red or orange spots. Neither has the raptor expert that Michigan Department of Natural Resources conferred with, Cleveland said.

When reached for comment by CBC, McGraw said that without getting a feather for analysis, there’s simply no way to be sure. 

Maybe it’s … de-icing fluid?

Scott Weidensaul, a co-founder of Project SNOWstorm, a volunteer snowy owl research group, says his inbox has been flooded with all kinds of “far-fetched” theories about Creamsicle, including that it turned orange from eating too much shrimp, or that it intentionally preened the blood if its prey into its feathers as some kind of intimidating fashion statement. 

While he can’t say for sure what happened to Creamsicle, he feels quite certain the bird was not born orange. 

“The photos make very obvious that the dye hit some feathers but that those beneath were shielded, leaving clear, sharp white ‘shadows’ that neatly match the shape of the coloured feathers above,” he told CBC in an email.

He says his group did not paint the feathers for tracking purposes, and neither have the other research organizations he’s reached out to.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean someone vandalized the owl, he said.

“It seems pretty clear that the bird got sprayed, almost certainly by accident, with something that contained dye or paint,” he said.

“Given the location, time of year and propensity of snowy owls to hang around airports, my Project SNOWstorm colleagues and I think the most likely cause was airport de-icing fluid, some formulations of which are red/orange.”

Either way, Creamsicle seems A-OK

Cleveland says she suspects Project SNOWstorm is “on the right track” with its de-icing fluid theory, “but we may never know for certain.”

That’s because the only way to find out is to get ahold of the bird and test its molted feathers. And since Creamsicle seems to be “healthy and well,” they have no intention of bothering it. 

“This bird will likely be heading back to Canada within a couple of weeks,” she said. 

Weidensaul agrees the owl is likely not in danger. 

Based on photos, he suspects Creamsicle is a juvenile male. And while being a weird colour could “put a serious crimp in its social life” when it’s time to find a mate, he says the bird will likely have molted and lost all its orange by then. 

Maggert, meanwhile, knows she may not find out for sure what’s behind Creamsicle’s unusual feathers — and there’s a part of her that hopes she never will.

“I was just so excited to finally get a good shot,” she said. “I like the mystery of it.”