The sight of a fawn in and of itself is enough to warm one’s heart.

Around Coupeville this time of year, it’s not uncommon to spot fawns tagging closely next to their mothers.

Spotting a white fawn, on the other hand, is an entirely different experience.

One that’s only a few weeks old has been seen wandering into neighborhoods and winning over hearts in Coupeville this month.

“It’s such a bright white,” said Debora Kulas, who sees the white fawn regularly near her home with its normal, tan-colored twin and their mother. “It really is stunning. It really catches your eye. You think, ‘Did I really see what I thought I saw?’ ”

Deer with white coloring in its fur or white spots are referred to as piebald deer, said Ruth Milner, a biologist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The white coloration isn’t a sign of a health condition. It’s caused by a genetic recessive trait, Milner said.

“If they’re clearly all white, then they’re a true albino, then it’s albinism,” said Milner. “That’s probably not the case. True albinos usually don’t survive.”

Milner confirmed after examining a photograph that the Coupeville fawn is piebald, which really is a fancy term for “spotted,” she said.

“If you look at this guy closely, he’s got a lot of brown mixed in,” she said. “He’s got brown eyes and a brown nose. If he was albino, he wouldn’t have any dark pigmentation.”

White deer are no strangers to deer-friendly Coupeville, but a white fawn gets the town talking.

Kevin Griggs said it’s only the second white fawn he’s seen in 22 years living in the town. And he’s experienced a couple upclose encounters.

“We get a lot of deer coming through our yard all the time,” Griggs said. “That mom and her two babies have come through a couple times. They seem to be a new family to the area.

“It was interesting to see that it had a twin that was not all white like its sibling — a normal-colored one and a white one I thought was pretty rare.”

Kulas, a longtime wildlife photographer, said there’s a stag in Coupeville that is half white that carries the recessive gene.

When paired together with a mate that has a similar recessive trait, the result can be the little white fawn that is drawing attention in Coupeville, Milner said.

“He’s a cute little bugger,” Kulas said. “I don’t know if it’s a male or female.”

The mother and her fawns just waltz into yards in the neighborhood and graze.

“He’s real bouncy and real active,” Kulas said of the white deer. “She’s having a hard time keeping the two of them together.”