"It's actually the prettiest bird I think I've ever seen," Scott said. "It's an unnatural color. Maybe that's what makes it so pretty. It's just so odd and rare." Despite being an avid bird watcher his whole life, Scott had never seen a white cardinal, and with a stroke of luck, one landed in his backyard. What are the odds.

The rare white bird looks that way due to a rare condition called leucism which affects the pigmentation on its feathers. Similar to albinism but not as extreme. "There is like a one in 1,800 chance of one existing," Scott added. "Some of them maybe just have one little spot and some of them have even more white on them than the one I photographed."

Davis puts out food in his backyard in the hope of feeding hungry birds in the local area. "Cardinals like sunflower seeds, so I threw a bunch out there on the snow and ice," Scott recalled. "That's when he came. He was probably out there between 10 and 15 minutes each time." The sighting was featured on a television news broadcast in Knoxville which prompted lots of birdwatchers to visit Scott's property to try and catch a glimpse of the rare bird. However, those requests have been denied. "It's incredible," Scott said about the popularity of the video. "I don't mind (the attention). I just don't want to be bothered about it." As for the cardinal, Scott says it hasn't returned since it flew off just after he captured the video.

Albino and Leucistic Cardinals: Occasionally cardinals will lack melanin pigments in their feathers, which results in white or light-colored feathers. The carotenoid pigments are still present, giving her a lovely light pinkish color. Birds that don't have melanin pigments in their feathers may either be albino or leucistic.

A true albino cannot produce melanin at all, so the skin will be unpigmented as well as the feathers. The eyes also have no pigment and will appear red. True albinos don't last long in the wild because they don't see as well. Melanin pigments play a part in vision, and in protecting eyes from UV light. A true albino Northern Cardinal will still often have reddish feathers, where carotenoid pigments would usually be deposited, but very rarely there'll be an all white cardinal.

A leucistic cardinal, such as the female shown here, can produce melanins, but something stops these pigments from being deposited in the feathers. The appearance between an albino and a leucistic bird could be very similar, except the leucistic individual will have a normal dark pigmented eye.