Rare white blackbird spotted in Weymouth garden

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.

Known as a leucistic blackbird, it is a genetic mutation which affects the pigment in the bird's feathers - turning them white - and is found in just one in every 30,000.

But, if it was not for Mr Turner's kitten, a four-month-old British shorthair tabby cross, the rare sighting may have been missed altogether. 

Ozzy the kitten discovered the all white blackbird (Image: Andy Turner) He said: "I wouldn't have seen this if it wasn't for Ozzy throwing himself against the back windows - and then me coming to investigate.

"Certainly when the bird moved into a nearby bush after sitting on the fence for some time, it was easily spottable - which explains why our kitten was so excited when he saw it.

"Whilst he is prone to normal kitten mischief, on this occasion he was going mad, jumping up at the back door window - clearly excited by something.

"And indeed the bird was right on the fence above him, just about four feet away."

​Mr Turner, of Hardy Avenue, is a marine scientist at Cefas as well as being a musician and composer in his spare time.

Although not a bird specialist, he knew there was something unique about what he was seeing on his garden fence.

(Image: Andy Turner)

He added "It was clearly blackbird shaped, and with the blackbird beak - but just pure white.

"It sat there for seemingly ages without moving, then it fluttered into a nearby bush not far away, where it sat for another five minutes or so before eventually flying off."

An expert from the Dorset Wildlife Trust confirmed the rare bird as a leucistic blackbird.

Normally, birds affected with the mutation have a few white feathers and occasionally mottled feathers, where there is a mix of black and white, like a Dalmatian dog.

However, for the affected birds to be pure white is extremely rare, with only a handful of reports each year around the country.

Species survival project manager at the Dorset Wildlife Trust, Seb Elwood, 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."