A RARE albino blackbird has been spotted in a garden nest.

The bird - which is believed to be a fledgling - was discovered by wildlife enthusiast Rachel Birch.

Mrs Birch, who lives between Ramshaw and Evenwood, spotted the infant at about 6am yesterday morning whilst opening the blinds in the kitchen.

She noticed the white bird out of her window in a tree among a nest of normal coloured blackbirds.

She said: “I take an interest in wildlife and the garden and knew we had a nest of blackbirds so recognised the type of bird it was. They are quite rare though, so I Googled them to find out more. It’s been really interesting to see the parents bringing back food for the nest and we just hope it keeps safe and well.”

Mrs Birch said the area she lives in attracts a lot of different bird species and she plans to monitor the youngster’s progress as it cannot fly yet.

According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) the genetic condition is called partial albinism, and it is usually inherited but can be caused by other factors.

Some birds have just one or two white feathers, while others can be white all over or with big white blotches. 

Blackbirds seem to be some of the birds most commonly affected, but that might be because they are common garden birds where it is easy to spot the white feathers.