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'One in a million' yellow northern cardinal spotted in Florida neighborhood

Posted at 2:46 PM, Oct 15, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-15 14:46:07-04

A Port St. Lucie woman was in the right place at the right time to capture incredible photos of an extremely rare yellow northern cardinal.

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Tracy Workman, who teaches art for a homeschooling organization, said on Facebook she came out her front door and spotted the cardinal on her bird feeder.

Workman said the bird lingered for about five minutes, just long enough for her to snap a few pictures.

Workman also recorded some video of the cardinal, whom she appropriately named Sunny, and posted it on YouTube.

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'One in a million' yellow northern cardinal spotted in Port St. Lucie neighborhood

According to a report in National Geographic, a yellow northern cardinal has a "one in a million" genetic mutation that turns its red feathers yellow, said Geoffrey Hill, a bird curator at Auburn University.

The National Audubon Society said the northern cardinal is "abundant in the Southeast, it has been extending its range northward for decades, and it now brightens winter days with its color and its whistled song as far north as southeastern Canada."

WPTV-PSL-YELLOW-CARDINAL-1.jpg<div class="Figure-credit" itemprop="author">Facebook/Tracy Workman