When a feisty weka strutted through a camp ground near the rugged Tasman Sea in early March, its snow-white plumage stood out from the usual brown-feathered crowd. Experts weighed in, ruling out albinism; it was more likely another hereditary colour mutation. But in a world where blending into the background is a survival skill, why do genetic misfires like this occur in our native fauna, and are they always a disadvantage? Science communicator Ceana Priest finds out.
