Albino bird is feather in Avebury's cap (From This Is Wiltshire)

Albino bird is feather in Avebury's cap

7:00am Sunday 8th August 2010 in

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An albino jackdaw is ruffling feathers in Avebury as people come from far and wide to see the rare bird.

Among the first to spot it was local writer and journalist Andrew Collins, who took this picture of the bird next to a normal coloured jackdaw.

He said: “I first saw it on July 11. It was individually seen and verified by a bird watcher on that first day. It is still there and apparently lives in Avebury, in the south-east quadrant of the henge.

“I have been on the internet and incidences of albino jackdaws are very rare indeed. It is a true albino. It has a translucent bill and pink eyes.

“We have named the bird Jackie, which can be either male or female, while Jackies is the name given to people from Upavon because of the village’s association with the jackdaws that live in and around the churchyard.” But Jackie’s continued wellbeing is in some doubt. It is not unknown for albino birds to be attacked by their normal coloured siblings.

Mr Collins said: “Things are all right at the moment. The other birds seem to accept him without any problem.

“But food is plentiful at the moment. What happens when things get more difficult is another matter. Birds often attack weaker birds under those circumstances, and albinism is a sign of weakness.”

Rob Turner, the county recorder for the Wiltshire Ornithological Society, said it was the first albino jackdaw he had heard of in Wiltshire. He said: “Having said that, birdwatchers are never very interested in mutations like this, so no one keeps any records.”