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White and Albino Hummingbirds
Although somewhat rare in nature, there are indeed white hummingbirds! There are three types, a true Albino, and a Leucistic hummingbird ... and a mixture, known as Pied (or Piebald).
Melanin is important for hummingbirds as it dictates skin tone, eye color, feather strength, and ultraviolet sun protection. Less melanin produces a lighter color, while more melanin produces a darker color.
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Albino Hummingbirds
An albino hummingbird features white feathers along with pink eyes, bill and feet. These hummingbirds are very rare, and are the result of a genetic mutation that stops the creation of any dark pigment. These hummingbirds lack melanin which equates to no color or pigmentation.
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Albino Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Carrol County, Maryland, July, 2019 (Photo by and courtesy of M. Tegges) |
Leucistic Hummingbirds
Leucistic hummingbirds can produce some melanin, and have black eyes, bills and feet. Their feathers may be pure white, whitish, off-white, partially-white, tan, or gray instead of the normal colors for that species.
These are somewhat rare, but not as rare as the true albino hummingbird.
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Leucistic Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Laurens, South Caroliana - August, 2021 Has stayed for 16 days at the home of Robyn Prince (Photo by Elaine Smith Photography ) |
Pied, or Piebald, Hummingbirds
The term "pied" or "piebald" is applied to bird plumage that has contrasting patches of bold color, usually black and white with clear edges.
Pied Hummingbirds have partial white and partial normal coloration.
Because it has some normal green or brown feathers, this hummingbird is referred to as being "pied" rather than leucistic.
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Pied Black-chinned Hummingbird sighted in Meers, Oklahoma, April, 2021 (Photo by and courtesy of J. Jones) |
Recent Sightings of White Hummingbird Sightings
Here at HummingbirdCentral, we have received over 200 reports of white hummingbird sightings from 2018 to 2025. Shown below are some recent sightings in 2025 ... included at the bottom of this page is our White Hummingbird Sighting Database dating back to 2018.
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More Photos of White Hummingbirds
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| Leucistic Ruby-throated Hummingbird Corryton, Tennessee, September 10-17, 2025 (Photos by and courtesy of D. Esslinger) |
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| Leucistic Ruby-throated Hummingbird Lincolnton, Georgia, August 15 - September 2, 2025 (Photos by and courtesy of Justin Riley) |
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 Leucistic Ruby-throated HummingbirdEvansville, Indiana, September 16, 2025 (Photo by and courtesy of C. Felty) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated HummingbirdEffingham, New Hampshire, August 19, 2025 (Photo by and courtesy of H. Kanca) |
 Pied Broad-tailed HummingbirdCaballo, New Mexico, September 11, 2025 (Photo by and courtesy of L. Clement) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated HummingbirdSaint Catherine, Missouri, August 23, 2025 (Photo by and courtesy of H. Fraley) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated HummingbirdMcMinnville, Tennessee, August 8, 2025 (Photo by and courtesy of D. Stout) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated HummingbirdGlasgow, Kentucky, August 3, 2025 (Photo by and courtesy of J. Barrick) |
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| Leucistic Ruby-throated Hummingbird Isom, Kentucky, August 1, 2025 (Photos by and courtesy of Angela S) |
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 Pied Ruby-throated HummingbirdAcworth, Georgia, July 20, 2025 |
 Pied Anna's HummingbirdWest Linn, Oregon, July 20, 2025 |
 Leucistic Anna's Hummingbird & Paper WaspOak Harbor, Washington, July 20, 2025 (Photo by and courtesy of G. Hatfield) |
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 Albino Hummingbird, probably RufousSandy, Oregon, July 8, 2025 (Photo by and courtesy of L. Anthony) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated HummingbirdShawboro, North Carolina, July 15, 2025 (Photo by and courtesy of D. Mason) |
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| Albino Ruby-throated Hummingbird Morden, Manitoba, August, 29 2024 Photos by and courtesy of Steve Hiebert ... Canadian Photo Gallery and Steve Hiebert on Facebook |
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| Pied Ruby-throated Hummingbird Gainesville, Texas, September 7-8, 2024 Photos by and courtesy of D. Huffman |
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| Albino Ruby-throated Hummingbird Columbus, Mississippi, August 30, 2024 First sighted by Jan Hudson 8/30/24 at her residence, and reported to the Oktibbeha Audubon Society. Evelyn Carter was privileged to take photos (above) of this incredible bird. |
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 Leucistic Ruby-throated Hummingbird Marshall, Arkansas, August 23-24, 2024 Photos by and courtesy of N. Carlson |
 White Black-chinned HummingbirdPena Blanca, New Mexico, June 23, 2024 Photo by and courtesy of E. Severance |
 White Ruby-throated HummingbirdSimsboro, Louisiana, May 31, 2024 Photo by and courtesy of G. Ruffino |
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 Pied Ruby-throated HummingbirdCharleston, Illinois, June 1, 2024 Photo by and courtesy of J. Thomason |
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 Leucistic HummingbirdPort Moody, British Columbia, September 12-27, 2023 (Photo by and courtesy of M. Owen-Evans) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated HummingbirdFranklin, Louisiana, October 4-5, 2023 (Photo by and courtesy of L. DeSoto ) |
 White Ruby-throated HummingbirdStockholm, New Jersey, September 17-19, 2023 (Photo by and courtesy of J. Winters) |
 White HummingbirdQueen, New Mexico, September 17-20, 2023 (Photo by and courtesy of B. O'Brien) |
 White Ruby-throated HummingbirdLadoga, Wisconsin, August 27, 2023 (Photo by and courtesy of M. Strook) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated HummingbirdPrairieville, Louisiana, September 11-13, 2023 (Photo by and courtesy of L. Wood) |
 Pied Ruby-throated HummingbirdHighland Village, Texas, September 2, 2023 (Photo by and courtesy of B. Alvarez) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated HummingbirdBells, Tennessee, September 11, 2023 (Photo by and courtesy of H. Haynes) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated HummingbirdClifton Park, New York, September 8, 2023 (Photo by and courtesy of J. Prichett) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated HummingbirdMarion, Kentucky, September 9, 2023 (Photo by and courtesy of W. Wilson) |
 Albino Ruby-throated HummingbirdPaw Paw, Michigan, August 9, 2023 (Photo by and courtesy of T. Thiede) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated HummingbirdMillington, Tennessee, August 2, 2023 (Photo by and courtesy of D. Asbridge) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated HummingbirdHenry, Virginia, August 7, 2023 (Photo by and courtesy of M. Broadstreet) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated HummingbirdHarbinger, North Carolina, July 31, 2023 (Photo by and courtesy of L. Harris) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated HummingbirdStony Creek, VA, July 22, 2023 (Photo by and courtesy of C. Lewis) |
 Pied Ruby-throated HummingbirdIrmo, South Carolina, August 31 - September 7, 2022 (Photo by and courtesy of S. Lewis) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated HummingbirdPiggott, Arkansas, July 19, 2023 (Photo by and courtesy of A. Fowler) |
 White HummingbirdAliso Viejo, California, March 29, 2023 (Photo by and courtesy of C. Beck) |
 Albino HummingbirdRinggold, GA, August 21, 2022 (Photo by and courtesy of J. Forshee) |
 Albino HummingbirdMillstadt, IL, August 1, 2022 (Photo by and courtesy of P. Keck) |
 Pied Ruby-throated HummingbirdKilgore, TX, September 16-20, 2022 (Photo by and courtesy of T. Zurn) |
 Leucistic HummingbirdBastrop, LA, September, 2022 (Photo by and courtesy of R. Stephenson) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated HummingbirdSt. Amant, Louisiana, September 2, 2022 (Photo by and courtesy of A. Bourque) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated Hummingbird Springfield, Missouri, September, 2021 (Photo by and courtesy of P. Lindsay) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated Hummingbird Brentwood, Tennessee, September 1-9, 2021 (Photo by and courtesy of K. Vanderkolk) |
 Leucistic Anna's Hummingbird Port Ludlow, WA, July 2021 (Photo by and courtesy of C. Aron) |
 White Ruby-throated Hummingbird Callawassie Island, SC, August, 2020 (Photo by and courtesy of J. Eckhardt) |
 Pied Hummingbird Fort Worth, TX, September, 2021 (Photo by and courtesy of M. Parsley) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated Hummingbird Mt. Olive, MS, October, 2021 (Photo by and courtesy of D. Madden) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated Hummingbird Earleville, Maryland, September 13, 2021 (Photo by and courtesy of A. Baldwin) |
 Leucistic male Anna's Hummingbird - Nicknamed "Cotton Ball" - Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia - February 24, 2021 (Photo by and courtesy of A. Miller) |
 Pied Ruby-throated Hummingbird St. Francis, Minnesota, June, 2020 (Photo by and courtesy of J. Heifort) |
 Pied Ruby-throated Hummingbird Ponchatoula, LA, September, 2021 (Photo by and courtesy of B. Migues) |
 Leucistic Hummingbird Beaverton, Oregon, July 11, 2020 (Photo by and courtesy of C. Elings) |
 Albino Ruby-throated Hummingbird North of Murray, Iowa, September 8, 2021 Confirmed by Iowa DNR as an Albino (Photo by and courtesy of R. Griffith) |
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White Hummingbird
Florissant, Colorado, July, 2021 (Photos by and courtesy of A. Bullis) |
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Leucistic Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Red River County, Texas - September, 2020 (Photos by and courtesy of M. Storey) |
![Leucistic hummingbird in Port Ludlow, Washington, August of 2020](images/white-hummingbirds/leucistic-annas-hummingbird-port-ludlow-wa-july-2021-02.jpg "\") Leucistic Hummingbird Port Ludlow, Washington, August, 2020 (Photo by and courtesy of L. Larabee and M. Lum) |
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 White Ruby-throated Hummingbird Missouri, September 14, 2018 (Photo by and courtesy of J. Simons) |
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 White Ruby-throated Hummingbird Simms, Texas, September 24-25, 2019 (Photo by and courtesy of C. Covarrubias) |
 White Ruby-throated Hummingbird Sisterdale, Texas, September 25, 2019 (Photo by and courtesy of R. Miklaw) |
 White Hummingbird Leakey, Texas, seen for several days in late June, 2020 (Photo by and courtesy of T. Ikner) |
 Albino Ruby-throated Hummingbird Sardis, Mississippi, October 18, 2019 (Photo by and courtesy of Randy and Bev Fullerton) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated Hummingbird Poquoson, Virginia, August, 2020 (Photo by and courtesy of C. Conrad) |
 Leucistic Hummingbird Carrboro, North Carolina, late July and August, 2020 (Photos by and courtesy of A. Smith) |
 White Ruby-throated Hummingbird Clinton, Louisiana, September, 2019 (Photo by and courtesy of D. DeMoss, taken with a Canon T3i and a Sigma DG 150 to 500mm zoom lens) |
 White Ruby-throated Hummingbird Indianapolis, Indiana, September 15, 2019 Its eyes appear dark in photos, but in person they look redder (Photo by and courtesy of S. Jennermann) |
 Pied Ruby-throated Hummingbird Galatia, Illinois, August 20, 2019 (Photo by and courtesy of D. Dudley) |
 Leucistic Hummingbird, probably an Anna's Seattle, WA - March to June of 2020, again in Feb 2021 (Photo by and courtesy of B. Newell) |
 Pied Ruby-throated Hummingbird Williamsburg, Virginia June, 2021 (Photo by and courtesy of L. Kelly) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated Hummingbird Southern Arkansas, August, 2018 (Photo by and courtesy of S. Edmonds) |
 White Leucistic Hummingbird Creswell, Oregon, July, 2021 (Photo by and courtesy of B. Gabrio) |
 Leucistic Hummingbird Spokane, Washington, Summer of 2019 (Photo by and courtesy of K. Grieb |
 White Ruby-throated Hummingbird Arp, Texas, August 13, 2019 (Photo by and courtesy of Brad R.) |
 Leucistic Ruby-throated Hummingbird Shelby, North Carolina, July, 2021 (Photo by and courtesy of K. Hamrick) |
 White Ruby-throated Hummingbird Missouri, September 14, 2018 (Photo by and courtesy of J. Simons) |
The Database of White Hummingbird Sightings
Here at HummingbirdCentral, we have received over 200 reports of white hummingbird sightings from 2018 to 2025. These reports were from the following locations (each documented with photos or videos):
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Albino and Other White Hummingbirds: The Video
Hummingbirds are colorful creatures! But from looking at the photos above, it is known that some are white, or whitish!
Although somewhat rare in nature, there are indeed white hummingbirds! There are three types, a true Albino, and a Leucistic hummingbird ... and a mixture, known as Pied (or Piebald).
This short video highlights some of the albino, leucistic and pied hummingbird sightings which have been submitted by Hummingbird Central website viewers.
It runs only about 4 minutes ... turn up your volume for some easy listening music and enjoy some incredible views of white hummingbirds!