Rare white magpie caught on camera

Amateur photographer Terry Wright photographed the creature, which he nicknamed Joy, in Pembrokeshire earlier this month. The bird is leucistic, which means it lacks pigment in its feathering. The Welsh Ornithological Society said the bird was very unusual. The 54-year-old has a condition called vitiligo, which has caused pigment loss in parts of his skin.

Mr Wright, from Abercych, said capturing the images left him feeling like “the luckiest man alive. He said seeing the bird made him feel a bit more at ease. Welsh Ornithological Society chairwoman Anne Brenchley said while the bird was very unusual, she could not be certain of its scarcity. Leucistic birds lack a substance called melanin which results in them having white feathers.

Because it is a white bird it could be picked off by a predator. Albino and leucistic birds could be distinguished by eye colour. Albino birds have pink eyes, while leucic birds’ eyes are dark. The organisation said the colour of a bird’s eye is a sign it is a bird of prey.

It is not a sign that a bird is a human or that it is of any kind.