Super-rare white blackbird spotted in UK town – beating the odds to survive with ‘incredibly unique’ condition
A SUPER-RARE white blackbird has been spotted in a UK town, beating the odds to survive with its “incredibly unique” condition.
Highly uncommon, the bird was spotted in the back garden of a home in Weymouth, Dorset.
Andy Turner, 54, spotted the all white blackbird perched on his garden fence after his curious kitten “threw himself” at his back window upon spotting the feathered friend.
The reason behind the bird’s colour is a condition called leucisim, a genetic mutation which causes a partial loss of pigmentation in a range of animals.
The disorder has a scale, with some birds having just white patches, but in rare cases they can have an entirely white plumage, according to an expert.
Species survival project manager at the Dorset Wildlife Trust, Seb Elwood, told the Dorset Echo: “This is a lovely leucistic blackbird – caused by a lack of melanin in the feathers.
“It’s a genetic condition that can be passed down through generations, so there can sometimes be multiple birds in the same area if a whole brood has been affected.
“The leucistic feathers will be weaker than normal feather, making them more susceptible to wearing down.”
Despite this, leucistic birds can fare well in the wild and retain their normal dark eyes.
While their white colour can make them more obvious to predators, they will still instinctively seek cover to protect themselves.
While there are often sightings of leucistic blackbirds with white patches, a completely white blackbird is very rare.
An expert from the Dorset Wildlife Trust confirmed the rare bird as a leucistic blackbird.
Other plumage abnormalities can be found in birds, including albinism, which can make birds appear white.
Unlike those suffering from leucism, most albino birds do not survive through to adulthood in the wild as they are plagued with poor eyesight.
As a result, they are far rarer to spot across the UK than those with leucism.
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) runs the abnormal plumage survey where people are encouraged to submit their sightings of birds with plumage abnormalities.
Those with abnormal plumages are very rare, although both leucism and albinism are easily recognized and more commonly reported than other abnormal plumages.
According to survey data, leucism and albinism occur at a rough estimate of one in every 30,000 birds.
It also suggested that of 100 birds showing abnormal plumages, 82 are leucistic, but only three are albinistic.
Anyone who spots any affected species across the UK is encouraged to contact their relevant wildlife charity.