A super rare bird showing both male and female plumage has scientists in Pennsylvania counting their lucky stars.
Meet the rose-breasted grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus), which displays an even split down the middle between male and female feather coloring.
The bird’s right side shows red plumage (male), while and its left shows golden yellow feathers (female). Scientists say this bird is probably the product of a genetic anomaly known as bilateral gynandromorphy.
The scientists were “very excited to see such a rarity up close, and are riding the high of this once-in-a-lifetime experience,” they said in a press release.
Annie Lindsay, bird banding program manager at Powdermill, said one researcher referred to the experience as “seeing a unicorn,” while another described the discovery as an adrenaline rush, because it was “so remarkable.”