Richard Collins: Albino rook who needed sheltered housing

The albino rook found one Sunday morning in Malahide, Co Dublin, during the mid 1970s.

Having the ‘right’ attire is important if you are a bird. Mute swan cygnets, for example, have grey-brown plumage but, very occasionally, an all-white one hatches. Its father, the cob, may tolerate the white youngster but some daddies will attack their unconventional offspring and drive it away. These ‘Polish morph’ swans occur very rarely in Ireland; I have seen only two during decades of fieldwork.

Only black lives matter for crows; ignoring the corvid dress-code might lead to banishment, or worse. Jackdaw attire is black and grey. Only the eyes are white; visible in the darkness of the nesting cavity, they warn rivals that the site is occupied.