The Anchorage White Raven is a

leucistic Leucism () is a wide variety of conditions that result in partial loss of pigmentation in an animal—causing white, pale, or patchy coloration of the skin, hair, feathers, scales, or cuticles, but not the eyes. It is occasionally spelled ''leu ...

common raven (''

Corvus corax The common raven or northern raven (''Corvus corax'') is a large all-black passerine bird. It is the most widely distributed of all corvids, found across the Northern Hemisphere. There are 11 accepted subspecies with little variation in appea ...

'') that resided in

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the List of cities in Alaska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of ...

, from 2023 to 2024. Hatched on the

Kenai Peninsula The Kenai Peninsula ( Dena'ina: ''Yaghenen'') is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The name Kenai (, ) is derived from the word "Kenaitze" or "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the name of the Native Athabascan Alaskan tribe ...

in the spring of 2023, the raven moved to Anchorage by October 2023. Over 27,000 people joined a

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

group dedicated to tracking the raven, during which time it had gained a reputation as a trickster. The raven left Anchorage in April 2024 and was last sighted in

Soldotna Soldotna is a city in the Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2010 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 4,342, up from 4,163 in 2010. It is the seat of the Kenai Peninsula ...

. The raven's status and whereabouts are unknown as of December 2024.

Description

The Anchorage White Raven is a

common raven The common raven or northern raven (''Corvus corax'') is a large all-black passerine bird. It is the most widely distributed of all Corvidae, corvids, found across the Northern Hemisphere. There are 11 accepted subspecies with little variatio ...

(''Corvus corax'') of unknown sex. It is white with blue eyes, making it

. Birds with the leucistic phenotype are rare, with a 1 in 30,000 chance of being hatched. Due to the bird's condition, concerns were expressed that it would have a hard time surviving the winter. It hatched on the

in the spring of 2023, one of seven siblings still under the care of their mother in June. One of its siblings had white feathers on its chest and another had reddish feathers on its head. Despite fears that its appearance would cause it to be rejected by other members of the species, this did not prove to be the case. The bird was seen in the company of other ravens and was an "

alpha Alpha (uppercase , lowercase ) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of one. Alpha is derived from the Phoenician letter ''aleph'' , whose name comes from the West Semitic word for ' ...

". It was pictured with a black raven in a series of photos, sparking rumors that the raven had entered a romantic relationship. Due to the bird's age, they were more likely siblings. The bird gained a reputation as a trickster. It successfully fought other ravens over a container of White Raspberry Chocolate Truffle–flavored

Häagen-Dazs Häagen-Dazs ( , ) is an American ice cream brand, established by Reuben and Rose Mattus in the Bronx, New York, in 1960, owned by Froneri, a joint venture between Nestlé and PAI Partners. Starting with only three flavors: vanilla, chocolat ...

ice cream, and stole a bolt from a street lamp. Like other Anchorage ravens it foraged for food in dumpsters and was known to eat toast,

tater tots Tater tots are grated potato formed into small cylinders and deep-fried, often served as a side dish. "Tater" is a dialect form of the word ''potato''. The name "tater tot" is a registered trademark of the American frozen food company Ore-Ida, b ...

, and

pizza Pizza is an Italian cuisine, Italian, specifically Neapolitan cuisine, Neapolitan, dish typically consisting of a flat base of Leavening agent, leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomato, cheese, and other ingredients, baked at a high t ...

History

Common Raven imported from iNaturalist photo 338614954 on 6 December 2024

In the summer of 2023, a white raven was spotted by locals on the Kenai Peninsula. Local photographers and members of the community, intrigued by the bird's distinctive appearance, began posting pictures of it to social media. By October 2023, it had moved to

. It was first spotted at the

Alaska Native Heritage Center The Alaska Native Heritage Center is an educational and cultural institution for all Alaskans, located in Anchorage, Alaska. The center opened in 1999. The Alaska Native Heritage Center shares the heritage of Alaska's 11 major cultural groups. T ...

but became known to frequent the neighborhood of Spenard. Whether the bird in Anchorage is the same as the one spotted in

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

has been disputed; due to the rarity of the leucism (the last leucistic raven known to live in the area was spotted during the 1990s), biologists such as

Rick Sinnott Rick Sinnott is a former Anchorage-area biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. He retired on June 30, 2010, after 30 years of service. His professional expertise and involvement in wildlife management issues made Sinnott a frequently ...

believe it is the same bird. A

Facebook group Facebook Platform, Facebook is a Social network, social-network service website launched on February 4, 2004, by Mark Zuckerberg. The following is a list of software and technology features that can be found on the Facebook website and mobile ...

, called Anchorage White Raven Spottings, was set up for locals to share raven sightings and pictures. Over 27,000 people joined the group. People followed the raven as it went around town, with some people traveling from Canada and the rest of the United States. One person, a retired police detective, took more than 10,000 photos of the raven. People also made white raven–inspired artwork, such as mouse pads and earrings. Some individuals made connections between the bird and Native Alaskan religions, in many of which a trickster Raven plays an important part. For example, a

Yup'ik The Yupʼik or Yupiaq (sg & pl) and Yupiit or Yupiat (pl), also Central Alaskan Yupʼik, Central Yupʼik, Alaskan Yupʼik ( own name ''Yupʼik'' sg ''Yupiik'' dual ''Yupiit'' pl; Russian: Юпики центральной Аляски), are an ...

prophecy recorded by

Rita Pitka Blumenstein Rita Pitka Blumenstein (Yup'ik, July 11, 1933 – August 6, 2021) was the first certified traditional doctor in Alaska. She worked for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. Blumenstein was a member of the International Council of 13 Indig ...

is said to predict the arrival of a white raven "when the world becomes more spiritual again". The last documented sighting of the raven occurred in April 2024. It was seen in Anchorage on April 20, and

on April 21. Despite hopes that the raven would return to Anchorage around October to early November 2024, no sightings were reported. This left the status of the raven as unknown.

Legacy

The 2025 Fur Rendezvous Festival pin, depicting a white raven with blue eyes sitting next to a regular black raven, was inspired by the Anchorage White Raven. The

Bird Treatment and Learning Center The Bird Treatment and Learning Center (also known as Bird TLC) is a wildlife rehabilitation center based in Anchorage, Alaska. It was founded in the 1980s by a veterinarian James R. Scott, and some of its early activities were funded partially by ...

announced that it would hold a fundraiser inspired by the bird. Local people donated their White Raven photographs for the center's auction, and others announced they would give talks about their experiences tracking the raven.

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline, Anchorage White Raven 2023 animal births 2023 in Alaska 2024 in Alaska Individual birds Individual birds in the United States Ravens

Description

History

Legacy

See also

References

External links