A rare blackbird is white

The photo was taken by retired parish priest Paul Winn, 64, who spotted the bird in his garden in Moulton, Lincolnshire. 'I was so surprised when I saw it hopping around, he said. 'Sometimes you see blackbirds that are a combination of black and white, but a pure white one is very uncommon. I feel very privileged to have seen one. Its snow white feathers are the result of leucism, a condition which affects the pigmentation of the skin. Unlike albinism, it does not turn the eyes pink. Birds with leucism or albinism have a shorter lifespan than others because they are more conspicuous to predators in the wild.