Snowy owl with orange coloring seen multiple times in Michigan’s Huron County

Caseville, Mich. — As a professional wildlife photographer and avid birder, Bill Diller is used to fielding reports of extraordinary or unusual birds – most of which turn out to be quite ordinary. 

So, when a neighbor knocked on his door a few weeks ago claiming to have spotted a snowy owl with unusual, reddish-orange-colored feathers near his home in Caseville, Mich., he was skeptical, to say the least.

His skepticism quickly turned to excitement upon arriving at the reported location and seeing the large, majestic, and yes, reddish-orange, snowy owl sitting atop a utility pole near a busy intersection. 

But before he could safely pull to the side of the road and grab his camera, the bird flew off and landed near a ditch across the road from where he was stopped. Fearing he’d missed his chance for a photograph, Diller watched as the bird, spooked by a passing vehicle, suddenly took flight and again landed on a nearby utility pole where he was able to observe and photograph the owl as it made several forays into a nearby field, presumably in search of a meal.

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Upon returning home, Diller downloaded the photos and was astonished at the bright orange plumage on the head, back, and wings of the normally white and black bird. He shared some of his images to birding groups on social media and was quickly inundated with hundreds of comments: most of them supportive and speculating about the origins of the unique coloring – many suggesting a genetic mutation. 

“The response that it’s gotten has been absolutely phenomenal,” Diller told Michigan Outdoor News, adding that he also received some negative comments accusing him of faking the photos.

The social media maelstrom and wide-ranging speculation surrounding Diller’s find caught the attention of Scott Weidensaul, co-founder of Project SNOWstorm, one of the world’s largest collaborative research projects focused exclusively on snowy owls.

Weidensaul acknowledges the bird’s unusual and stunning coloration but does not believe it’s the result of a genetic mutation. 

“There’s no way that’s a genetic mutation. It’s very clearly a bird that got tainted with something, somehow,”  Weidensaul said. He cites a similarly-marked snowy owl that was accidentally sprayed with paint during a bridge painting project near Boston, Mass., several years ago. 

“I think the most logical explanation is that it (Diller’s snowy owl) got hit with de-icing fluid at an airport,” Weidensaul said. 

His team has been in contact with airport personnel who confirmed the color seen on the bird is similar to Type 1 De-icing Fluid used at airports. 

Given the snowy owl’s tendency to hang out near airports (because the terrain is similar to the arctic tundra of their summer range), Weidensaul  feels this bird was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Photos of the bird taken a couple of weeks after Diller’s first encounter show the bird with significantly less coloration, suggesting the coloration is wearing off with time and exposure to rain and snow.

Although orange-colored snowy owls are extremely rare, in general the presence of snowy owls in Michigan’s thumb region during the winter is not. 

During irruption years, when survival of young snowy owls is high due to an abundance of food – primarily lemmings found in their summer range – it’s not unusual for savvy birders to spot multiple snowy owls per day on a drive through the Thumb.

Staffed largely by a volunteer team of more than 40 scientists, banders, and wildlife veterinarians who donate their time and expertise, Project SNOWstorm, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit launched in 2013, continues to closely study the movements of snowy owls — including to and from Michigan. The project’s goal is to better understand the factors contributing to these irruptions, and more importantly threats, to the snowy owl’s overall health.

Exposure to rodenticides (e.g. rat poison) when consuming poisoned prey, parasites commonly present in ring-necked pheasants but deadly when consumed by snowy owls, and collisions with vehicles are among the many threats faced by snowy owls during their winter visits to more populous areas like Michigan’s Thumb region.

Another direct and obvious threat to both people and snowy owls is their proximity to airplanes. 

Snowy owls seen hanging around airport runways are typically relocated to avoid collisions with planes taking off or landing, and for at least one now-famous owl, away from future encounters with de-icing liquid.