Man shocked to discover super-rare white blackbird sitting in his garden

Blackbirds are a common sight across many gardens up and down the UK but did you know white ones exist?

One in every 33,000 fly around across the country and one has recently been spotted in a garden in Dorset.

It was all thanks to a kitten called Ozzy who ‘threw himself at the back window’ upon seeing the rare bird.

Andy Turner, 54, who lives in Weymouth, knew he was seeing something rather special as soon as he spotted the white blackbird.

He described to the Dorset Echo how it was blackbird shaped with a blackbird beak but completely white.

Andy said the white blackbird sat there for what felt like ‘seemingly ages’.

The curious little bird then perched itself on a bush for a further five minutes before flying off again never to be seen.

So you might be wondering how on earth white blackbirds can exist?

Well, it is caused because of a genetic mutation which affects the pigment in the bird’s feathers – turning them white.

White blackbirds are also called leucistic blackbirds and this rare sighting was also confirmed by an expert from Dorset Wildlife Trust.

What’s even more spectacular is that it is even more rare for a blackbird to be completely white.

This is because most blackbirds with the mutation have a few white feathers and occasionally mottled feathers, where there is a mix of black and white.

Seb Elwood from the trust said: ‘This is a lovely leucistic blackbird – caused by a lack of melanin in the feathers.

‘There can be a scale of leucism, with some bird having just white patches, and in rare cases, entirely white plumage.

‘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.’

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