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Wedding doves were my first thought. Never thought of albino pigeons. You know wedding doves — those white birds sold for symbolic release as part of a nuptial celebration. (Except, that’s not how it works.) Anyway, I spotted three white birds in a tree in Minnetonka while I was driving west on I-394. Exact ID at 65 mph is above my pay grade. Turns out two of them were albino pigeons, the third possibly leucistic. Albino birds are very uncommon. More often seen are leucistic birds, which have random white markings, sometimes a spot or two, and are sometimes almost white. Albino birds have white plumage, period. Feet, legs, bills and eyes are pink. Albinos completely lack melanin, the color ingredient. I stopped at the Wild Birds Unlimited store in the shopping center at I-394 and County Road 73 (Hopkins Crossroad), the pigeon corner. Pigeons come to its front-door feeder. Debbie Jergenson, who works there, told me she has seen two white pigeons at her nearby home. One of those birds had flecks of color on its plumage. A leucistic bird. Hanging out with an albino? Maybe. Many questions here: Were the birds related? What are the odds of two albinos hatching from one set of eggs? Pigeons usually lay but two eggs in a clutch. What are the odds of albinos from separate families finding each other? Where did the leucistic bird come from? I quizzed several possible sources about these loose ends, but got no good answers. A couple of guys, even with an e-mailed photo, thought I photographed a dove, or perhaps it was a matter of nomenclature. Check the photos. See the fleshy covering at the base of the upper bill? That is the cere (pronounced sir), a pigeon diagnostic. Albinism is a recessive genetic characteristic. Both parents must carry the gene if the trait is to be passed to offspring. An estimated 1 percent or less of all birds show any sign of albinism, partial or complete. Albino is the rarest form. Albino birds aren’t often seen for three reasons. One, they are rare. Two, they are very visible to predators. Three, albinos have poor eyesight, making survival difficult. Absence of melanin also makes feathers weak, subject to excessive wear and tear. Back to weddings: The birds released almost always are pigeons, homing pigeons bred for white color. Once released, they return home. You don’t buy these birds. You rent them. John and Marsha Fredrichs have a local rent-a-pigeon business, Wings of Love. Their birds brighten weddings and special events. They lend grace to funerals.

Male Hirsch Antler Plays With Tree Branch , Deer live in a variety of bio mes, ranging from tundra to the tropical rain forest. While often associated with forests, many deer are ecotone species that live in transitional areas between forests and thickets (for cover) and prairie and savanna (open space). The majority of large deer species inhabit temperate mixed deciduous forest, mountain mixed coniferous forest, tropical seasonal/dry forest, and savanna habitats around the world. Clearing open areas within forests to some extent may actually benefit deer populations by exposing the under story and allowing the types of grasses, weeds, and herbs to grow that deer like to eat. Additionally, access to adjacent croplands may also benefit deer. However, adequate forest or brush cover must still be provided for populations to grow and thrive. Deer are widely distributed, with indigenous representatives in all continents except Antarctica and Australia, though Africa has only one native deer, the Barbary stag, a subspecies of red deer that is confined to the Atlas Mountains in the northwest of the continent. However, fallow deer have been introduced to South Africa. Small species of brocket deer and pudús of Central and South America, and muntjacs of Asia generally occupy dense forests and are less often seen in open spaces, with the possible exception of the Indian muntjac. There are also several species of deer that are highly specialized, and live almost exclusively in mountains, grasslands, swamps, and "wet" savannas, or riparian corridors surrounded by deserts. Some deer have a circumpolar distribution in both North America and Eurasia.

Group Of Ducks Clean Up In Lake , The Lake Duck is a stiff-tailed duck of southern South America, primarily in Argentina and Chile. They are found on many inland bodies of water, favoring freshwater wetlands and small lakes. Males are handsomely patterned with a chestnut body, black head, and large, blue bill; females are brownish marked with a contrasting pale subocular stripe and throat. The species is remarkable in that the males have the longest penis relative to body size of any bird; the organ has apparently evolved a brush-like tip to remove sperm from previous matings. Little is known about the lake duck's diet, but it is believed to consist of small invertebrates, seeds, and plant remains. The breeding season varies between countries, occurring from October to January in Argentina. Males produce popping noises and "mechanical rustling noises" for display. The lake duck is a partially migratory species. It lives in bodies of freshwater with large amounts of vegetation, such as wetlands and lakes. It is very widespread, naturally occurring in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and having been introduced to Antarctica and the Falkland Islands. It has a stable population of 6,700–67,000, with no major threats. As of 2016, it is listed as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List.

The forest giant squirrel is the largest arboreal squirrel in Africa with a head-and-body length of around 300 mm (12 in) and a bushy tail of a similar length. The head is large and rounded with powerful cheek muscles. The brownish hairs on the top of the head and on the nape are tipped with white giving a frosted appearance. The ears are small, rounded and almost hairless. The body coloring is rather variable across the animal's wide range. The fur is short and stiff; the upper parts are medium brown grizzled with buff or yellow, the individual hairs having black bases, yellow or buff shafts and black tips. The chest is white and the underparts are almost hairless showing the yellowish skin. The limbs are compact and strong. The tail is long and bushy and the black and white barring is sometimes not clearly visible. When the animal is moving around, the tail is held horizontally, but when it is stationary, the tail hangs down. The forest giant squirrel is native to tropical western and central Africa. Its range extends from Sierra Leone to western Kenya, and southwards to northern Angola and northern Tanzania. It is a lowland species with a maximum altitudinal limit of about 2,000 m (6,600 ft). It occurs in primary forest, secondary forest and fringing forest as well as plantations and agricultural land and gardens with trees. It is normally found in the upper layers of the canopy, only occasionally descending to ground level

The porcupine is the prickliest of rodents, though its Latin name means “quill pig.” There are more than two dozen porcupine species, and all boast a coat of needle-like quills to give predators a sharp reminder that this animal is no easy meal. Some quills, like those of Africa's crested porcupine, are nearly a foot long. Porcupines have soft hair, but on their back, sides, and tail it is usually mixed with sharp quills. These quills typically lie flat until a porcupine is threatened, then leap to attention as a persuasive deterrent. Porcupines cannot shoot them at predators as once thought, but the quills do detach easily when touched. Many animals come away from a porcupine encounter with quills protruding from their own snouts or bodies. Quills have sharp tips and overlapping scales or barbs that make them difficult to remove once they are stuck in another animal's skin. Porcupines grow new quills to replace the ones they lose. The porcupines found in North and South America are good climbers and spend much of their time in trees. Some even have prehensile (gripping) tails to aid in climbing. The North American porcupine is the only species that lives in the U.S. and Canada, and is the largest of all porcupines. A single animal may have 30,000 or more quills. North American porcupines use their large front teeth to satisfy a healthy appetite for wood. They eat natural bark and stems, and have been known to invade campgrounds and chew on canoe paddles. North American porcupines also eat fruit, leaves, and springtime buds. Other porcupine species live in Africa, Europe, and Asia. These animals usually live on the ground and can inhabit deserts, grasslands, and forests. Female porcupines have between one and four young, depending on the species. Babies have soft quills at birth, which harden within a few days. Most young porcupines are ready to live on their own at about two months of age.

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is a bear that is found across much of northern Eurasia and North America.In North America the population of brown bears are often called grizzly bears. It is one of the largest living terrestrial members of the order Carnivora, rivaled in size only by its closest relative, the polar bear (Ursus maritimus), which is much less variable in size and slightly larger on average. The brown bear's principal range includes parts of Russia, Central Asia, China, Canada, the United States, Scandinavia and the Carpathian region, especially Romania, Anatolia and the Caucasus. The brown bear is recognized as a national and state animal in several European countries. The brown bear is sometimes referred to as the bruin, from Middle English. This name originated in the fable, History of Reynard the Fox, translated by William Caxton, from Middle Dutch bruun or bruyn, meaning brown (the color). In the mid-19th century United States, the brown bear was termed "Old Ephraim" and sometimes as "Moccasin Joe". The scientific name of the brown bear, Ursus arctos, comes from the Latin "ursus", meaning "bear", and Άρκτος "arctos", from the Greek word for bear.