Anchorage White Raven

The Anchorage White Raven is a common raven (Corvus corax) of unknown sex. It is white with blue eyes, making it leucistic. Birds with the leucistic phenotype are rare, with a 1 in 30,000 chance of being hatched. Due to the bird's condition, concerns were expressed that it would have a hard time surviving the winter. It hatched on the Kenai Peninsula in the spring of 2023, one of seven siblings still under the care of their mother in June. One of its siblings had white feathers on its chest and another had reddish feathers on its head. It was pictured with a black raven in a series of photos, sparking rumors that the raven had entered a romantic relationship. Due to the bird's age, they were more likely siblings. The bird gained a reputation as a trickster. It successfully fought other ravens over a container of White Raspberry Chocolate Truffle–flavored Häagen-Dazs ice cream, and stole a bolt from a street lamp. Like other Anchorage ravens it foraged for food in dumpsters and was known to eat toast, tater tots, and pizza. == History ==

In the summer of 2023, a white raven was spotted by locals on the Kenai Peninsula. Local photographers and members of the community, intrigued by the bird's distinctive appearance, began posting pictures of it to social media. By October 2023, it had moved to Anchorage, Alaska. It was first spotted at the Alaska Native Heritage Center), biologists such as Rick Sinnott believe it is the same bird. People followed the raven as it went around town, One person, a retired police detective, took more than 10,000 photos of the raven. People also made white raven–inspired artwork, such as mouse pads and earrings. Some individuals made connections between the bird and Native Alaskan religions, in many of which a trickster Raven plays an important part. For example, a Yup'ik prophecy recorded by Rita Pitka Blumenstein is said to predict the arrival of a white raven "when the world becomes more spiritual again". The last documented sighting of the raven occurred in April 2024. It was seen in Anchorage on April 20, and Soldotna on April 21. Despite hopes that the raven would return to Anchorage around October to early November 2024, no sightings were reported. This left the status of the raven as unknown. == Legacy ==

The 2025 Fur Rendezvous Festival pin, depicting a white raven with blue eyes sitting next to a regular black raven, was inspired by the Anchorage White Raven. The Bird Treatment and Learning Center announced that it would hold a fundraiser inspired by the bird. Local people donated their White Raven photographs for the center's auction, and others announced they would give talks about their experiences tracking the raven. ==See also==