Facebook | Sunny the Yellow Cardinal

Yellow Cardinal Spotted In Florida Is A 'One-In-A-Million' Sighting

Updated September 8, 2021

If you live in North America, you're familiar with the bright red plumage of a cardinal. It's likely these birds that were used in school to explain how male birds are brighter in color than the females, since the difference is so obvious.

So when Tracy Workman spotted what looked like a bright yellow cardinal in her yard, her photographer instincts took over.

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She told CNN:

"My first thought as the yellow thing fluttered out of the bush by my front door was, 'Did I just see a yellow cardinal? There's no way!'"

It was only after she shared the photos on Facebook that she realized just how rare such a sighting is.

Facebook | Sunny the Yellow Cardinal

It's rare enough that she's been careful not to reveal her exact address, since bird watching enthusiasts may start invading her yard to see him.

Instead, she created a Facebook page for the bird, who she has dubbed Sunny.

Through that page, she's even been able to share video of Sunny hanging around the yard with his other bird friends.

Geoff Hill, a professor at Auburn University, says that the mutation that causes the bright yellow color is about one-in-a-million, but as its existence becomes common knowledge, we may see reports of sightings increasing.

Sunny is believed to be the first confirmed sighting in Florida and the twelfth in the United States.

Facebook | Sunny the Yellow Cardinal

The confirmed sightings are tracked by Jeremy Black, an Alabama photographer thought to have captured the first confirmed photo in February 2018.

"Each have been confirmed with time stamps, positive ID with the help of photographs, and information from each individual who has made the incredible discovery," Black explained in a post on The Yellow Cardinal Facebook page.