Pearl Talon, a white raven, is perched on the glove of her handler. The location is Bird Fest in Los Angeles. While the two humans talk, her handler strokes the beak of this beautiful rare-colored bird.
Here, Pearl Talon’s handler explains why jesses aren’t a good idea for ravens. “Raptors have very strong legs,” she explains. Jesses can be dangerous for ravens and crows because they don’t have the kind of legs raptors do.
With each movement of her hand, the white raven opens her beak. She is a well-behaved bird that is waiting patiently. She gives a slight crow seeing her human’s hand open up.
The woman notices that Pearl Talon is demanding attention. While explaining why ravens shouldn’t be tied to perches, she gives the raven a small rope in her hand to peck on.
The rope seems to do the trick and Pearl Talon stops her squawking. Soon after, she opens her mouth again. Her handler gently closes the beak and keeps it closed with her fingers.
In general, white-colored ravens are extremely rare beautiful sights. But there is debate as to whether the raven is albino or leucitic. Pearl Talon was described as albino by the California Wildlife Center and local Audubon.
However, it seems more likely that the bird is leucitic. There is a recessive gene that has caused it to have fewer pigments. Albino birds usually have pink eyes but Pearl Talon has blue eyes.
