One-in-a-million yellow cardinal stuns Ocean County family
A rare pigment mutation turned a familiar Northern Cardinal bright yellow, as a Manchester Township couple enjoys daily visits from the backyard guest.
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If you think you know what a cardinal looks like, think again.
An Ocean County family spotted a rare version of a northern cardinal, turning their daily routine into something pretty special.
For Mike and Roseann Hildebrandt, bird watching has become a peaceful pastime in retirement — coffee in hand, eyes on their feeder. But in recent weeks, something unusual kept catching their attention.
"I said, 'Am I imagining. Is this cardinal yellow?' It was so bright," said Roseann.
That bright-colored bird was, in fact, a yellow cardinal. But it turned out to be something incredibly rare.
"I said I've never seen a yellow cardinal, so I Googled it, and sure enough, I told my daughter, and my daughter said, 'Yes, they are very rare, Mom.' They're like one in a million."
While the yellow cardinal is in the same species as the red cardinal, avian experts say the rare coloring is likely caused by a genetic condition affecting pigmentation, making sightings like this fewer and far between.
"A lot of the time you struggle and you try to rush to the window and get your phone and by the time you get it all set up, the bird is like, it's gone," said Mike.
But luckily for the Hildebrandts, this rare bird isn't just passing through. Since February, it's become a regular, eating from their feeder daily.
"We have some great food that we're giving them, and they love it...They came for breakfast, came for lunch. We're expecting them for dinner," said Mike.
So for these lovebirds, they say they'll keep sitting by the window.
"I'm just a guy who looks out the window, and this beautiful bird comes," says Mike.
A gentle reminder that sometimes, one-in-a-million moments find you right at home.
