Rare Albino Birds Spotted in Britain

White, or albino, birds are some of the rarest wildlife found in Britain. Their unusual colour has made them popular birds among the general public. Some recent reports of albino birds are listed below.

An albino Robin from in in Bridford Devon “has been forced to lead a solitary life without a mate for the last four years as males do not recognise her without the iconic red breast.”.

Other white Robins were reported nearby. “There were two about a mile apart on the Tarka Trail, and there was another in Lelant, Cornwall” (Daily Mail - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/…/Rare-albino-bird-unable-mate-…).

“A super-rare white blackbird has been spotted at Waitrose in Dorset, with experts warning that its appearance makes it stand out to predators”.

“White blackbirds often live short lives because the white skin makes them susceptible to being killed by predators”

“It comes after last month a dog walker was left bamboozled this festive season after he captured footage of a rare Albino Pheasant strolling around a British garden”.

“The bird was brazenly looking round the woodland area while Brian Cave was taking his dog for a walk in Newquay, Cornwall”.

“The British Trust for Ornithology...said the sighting was extremely rare...It is thought that they are a prime target for hunters due to their colour, but the registered charity said most 'die soon after fledging, primarily as a consequence of their poor eyesight, and albino birds are not thought to progress to adulthood in the wild'.

(Daily Mail - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/…/Super-rare-WHITE-blackbird-sp…).

“A rare white-coloured kite has been spotted in Powys” in Wales. “However, it is unclear whether it is a leucist (white red kite), of which there are only about six in Wales, or a kite with albinism”(BBC – bbc.com/news/uk-wales-47554846).

A white house Sparrow was spotted the village of Westonzoyland in Somerset in 2018.

An “albino Peacock, called Bertie “ keeps spooking the locals as he wanders the tiny village of Handcross in West Sussex on the hunt for a girlfriend”.

“Every year, during peacock mating season, Bertie makes the mile-long pilgrimage from his home to a neighbouring village - where he goes from house-to-house in a bid to find love”. “Bertie hopes to attract a mate by fanning his beautiful white feathers and dancing, despite there being no peahens within several miles of Handcross” (Daily Mail - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/…/The-one-million-bird-Rare-alb…).

A rare white Jackdaw was seen in at Aberglasney Gardens in Carmarthenshire, South Wales (Daily Mail - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/…/Rare-albino-jackdaw-sends-bir…).

Sadly, the white jackdaw was “killed by other black-feathered jackdaws...Apparently, it is quite common for other birds to turn on albinos like this” (ITV - https://www.itv.com/…/rare-albino-jackdaw-killed-by-other-…/).

A “sighting of a leucistic mallard hen, Monday, near Lasalle Park Pier Monday was a rare one"

"The female mallard is commonly brown with black spotting whereas this leucistic hen is predominantly white with brown spots. Her bill is also devoid of its normal yellow pigment and her feet are much less orange than others”..

“Leucistic mallards are not common, are Tÿs Theijmeijer, Head of Natural Lands at the RBG said. "I have never seen one like this and I have observed 10,000 plus mallard ducks over the years” (Inside Hamilton - https://www.insidehalton.com/…/9808163-rare-leucistic-mall…/).

Some reports of strange coloured birds have another explanation for their appearance. Vinny the seagull was brought to Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital “completely covered in curry”.

“Locals had found and rescued a flightless orange bird and brought it to the clinic, where workers soon realized that it was just a seagull in desperate need of a bath. "He had somehow gotten himself covered in curry or turmeric!" (Vice - https://www.vice.com/…/a-rare-bird-seen-in-england-was-a-se…

).

Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus) of Britain

Photo credit: The Wasp Factory on VisualHunt.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Honey Buzzards are rare birds of prey who breed Britain. They arrive from their wintering grounds in tropical and southern Africa in mid-May and return in September. Pairs make their nests in open woodland and feed their young on wasps and bees. 

Honey Buzzards are not true buzzards although they belong to the family of birds which includes hawks, kites and eagles. They spend more time feeding on the ground than any other bird of prey.

Adults are large raptors with greyish-brown upperparts, whitish underparts, broad wings and a long tail.

Honey Buzzards live a solitary lifestyle in open woodland and on the edges of forests.

“The main food both in summer and winter quarters is nests, larvae, pupae and adults of social Hymenoptera, including wasps, bees, bumblebees and hornets”.

“Food is located by following flying insects to the nest and, once located, the bird will start to dig the nest out with its feet. The bird can dig as deep as 40cm, and consumes adult insects, larvae, pupae and parts of the nest itself as it excavates. It also hunts on foot to catch ground insects and small vertebrates”.

“In the spring when the main prey is scarce, honey buzzards will resort to a variety of other food, including other insects, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, nestlings and eggs of birds, worms, fruit and berries” (RSPB – Feeding: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/honey-buzzard/feeding/ ).

Honey Buzzards arrive from their wintering ground in tropical and southern Africa in mid-May. They return to their wintering quarters in Africa between mid-August and September.

The arrival of Honey Buzzards in mid-May coincides with an abundance of “wasp larvae, which is the principal food of nestlings”.

The RSPB estimated 41 pairs breed in southern and eastern England, Wales, northern England and northern Scotland. Their nest sites are kept secret to protect pairs from egg collectors.

The range of Honey Buzzards is between 10 and 40 kilometres, or between 6 and 25 miles. Pairs breed in pine or mixed woodland in lowland areas and the wooded hills of higher ground. They prefer open woodland with open countryside nearby.

A pair make their nest in the topmost branches of a large tree. They either make a new nest or reuse the old nest of a crow and other birds of prey such as a Common Buzzard.

The nest is a large construction of twigs and green leaves with more vegetation added during the breeding season. The female is mostly responsible for building the nest over 10 to 15 days.

“A clutch of two white eggs, heavily marked with deep purple-red blotches are laid...in May. Incubation...takes up to 37 days - 30-35 days per egg...but unlike in most birds of prey there is no aggression between the siblings, and there is usually little competition for food”.

“From 18 days the young are able to feed themselves from food in the nest...The young fledge at 40-44 days and return to the nest for food until about 55 days old. They are independent from 75-100 days. Only one brood a year is raised” (RSPB – Breeding: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/honey-buzzard/breeding/ ).

The European Honey Buzzard is classified as of Least Concern by IUCN.

The Honey Buzzard “is a widespread summer visitor to Europe, which constitutes 75% of its global breeding range. Its European breeding population is large (>110,000 pairs), and was stable between 1970–1990”.

“Although there were declines in countries such as Finland and Sweden during 1990–2000, key populations in Russia, Belarus and France were stable, and the species remained stable overall. Consequently, it is provisionally evaluated as Secure” (Birdlife International - http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/BirdsInEuropeII/BiE2004Sp3334.pdf ).

The Honey Buzzard is an amber-listed species of bird in Britain. The shy and secretive nature of these birds of prey makes them difficult to study.

The RSPB said the number of Honey Buzzards is increasing in Britain possibly as a result of a proliferation of maturing conifer forests. The boost in the population of wasps due to climate change may also be responsible for the rise in their numbers.

A new source of food may be provided by the invasive species of Asian Hornets in Britain. Asian Hornets are “wasps, which can kill with a single sting, pose a threat to Britain's honeybees and may soon have a devastating impact on their populations” (Daily Mail - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8203829/Invasion-Asian-hornets-cause-7-6million-environmental-damage-year-study-finds.html ).

For more information on the birds of the gardens and countryside of Britain and Ireland, please visit

,http://bird4u.mzzhost.com/index.html

Interesting Articles

BTO – Sad Demise of a Honey Buzzard: http://btoringing.blogspot.com/2013/07/sad-demise-of-pioneering-honey-buzzard.html

BBC - Honey Buzzard takes plane flight to The Gambia: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-15533903

Sand Martin (Riparia riparia) of Britain and Ireland

Photo credit: Aaron Maizlish on Visual Hunt/CC BY-NC 

Sand Martins arrive in Britain and Ireland between March and April after flying 3,500 miles from their wintering grounds in Africa. They are fairly common and widespread birds which breed in sand and river banks along rivers and in the open countryside. They leave again for Africa between August and September.

Adults are the smallest of the Hirundine species to breed in the British Isles. They are about two thirds the size of their cousins, the House Martin and Swallow. 

Sand Martins are sociable who breed in open country where water is nearby. They are common on farmland, pastures, rivers, quarries and wetlands. Urban areas, woods and mountains are generally avoided.

Pairs breed in colonies and make their nests in sandbanks and riverbanks. 

The main diet of Sand Martins are insects such as flies, aphids, hoverflies, flying ants and midges which are caught in the air.

Sand Martins fly across the Sahara Desert in Africa and arrive in Britain and Ireland between mid-March and April. 

A map of the breeding distribution of Sand Martins in Britain and Ireland has been supplied by the British Trust for Ornithology:  https://app.bto.org/mapstore/StoreServlet?id=321 .

Flocks of Sand Martins leave for the wintering ground in Africa between late July to September. Most of the wintering population are thought to congregate around the Sahel.

The Sahel lies between “the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian Savanna to the south” (Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahel ). 

Sand Martins breed in colonies of up to 100 pairs. They make their nests in sandy, dry banks found sand pits, gravel pits, railway embankments, riverbanks and sea cliffs. Some pairs choose holes in walls, drainpipes and brickwork.

The nest is a chamber at the end of a long tunnel which can be up to a metre deep. Pairs excavate between 8 and 10 centimetres into the sand each day. They line the chamber with grass, leaves and feathers.

Four or five white eggs are laid in late May or early June and take 2 weeks to hatch. Both parents care for the young who learn to fly after 19 or 24 days. The young are dependent on their parents for another week. 

Pairs often raise 2 broods a year if there is good weather in the summer. Some males and females seek another mate and start a new family.

(A short video on a colony of Sand Martins can be found on Birdguides: https://www.birdguides.com/species-guide/ioc/riparia-riparia/ ).

Adults and chicks are vulnerable to the American Mink and foxes.

The Sand Martin is classified as of Least Concern by IUCN.

There has been a slight decline in the population of Sand Martins in North America over the last 40 years. The population trend in Europe is unknown.

A map of the breeding sites of Sand Martins in Europe has also been provided by the BTO: http://s1.sovon.nl/ebcc/eoa/?species1=9810.

The Sand Martin is a green-listed species of bird in Britain. They were moved from the amber list to the green list of birds in 2015.

The Sand Martin is an amber-listed species of bird in the Republic of Ireland.

The BTO said the population suffered “steep” declines throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. The latest figure suggested, “a stable or shallowly increasing population, with wide fluctuations”.

Sand Martins are difficult to monitor as “active and inactive nest holes are difficult to distinguish, and because whole colonies frequently disperse or shift to new locations as suitable sand cliffs are created and destroyed”.

The status of Sand Martins in Europe was described as “depleted”. (BTO – Trends: https://app.bto.org/birdtrends/species.jsp?&s=sanma ).

The Breeding Bird Survey said in 2018 “Winds from the north through much of the spring migration period could have taken their toll on migrant species returning to the UK from Africa, but conditions on wintering grounds could also have contributed to the year-on-year declines for some of the UK’s migrant species. House Martin (-17%), Sand Martin (-42%) and Swift (-20%) all declined between 2017 and 2018” (BBS – page 14 : https://www.bto.org/sites/default/files/bbs-report-2018.pdf ).

The population of Sand Martins occasionally “crashes” because of drought conditions in their wintering quarters in Africa. Their numbers are also affected by overgrazing by livestock, climate change, manmade changes made along rivers and in quarries and pesticides.

Netting placed near their breeding grounds can also cause problems for colonies (BBC - https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-48838611 ).

For more information on the birds of the gardens and countryside of Britain and Ireland, please visit

,http://bird4u.mzzhost.com/index.html

Yellow Wagtail of Britain

Yellow Wagtails are summer visitors from West Africa who arrive in Britain d between April and May. Pairs breed in damp habitats and then return to their wintering grounds in the late summer.

Experts have estimated that three-quarters of the Yellow Wagtail population has been lost over the last fifty years. Their range in Britain has also declined and are now only found in southern and eastern England. The main factor in their decline is agricultural changes.

The Yellow Wagtail is an elegant bird with a medium-sized tail and the smallest of the European Wagtail species. The Motacilla flava flavissima race breeds in Britain and described as the “most yellow of yellow”. They are also found in the coastal areas of Holland and France.

“The male is a stunning bird with striking yellow underparts that extend up onto the face and greenish-yellow upperparts. Females and young birds are less brightly coloured and may be confused with other wagtail species” (BTO https://www.bto.org/understand…/species-focus/yellow-wagtail ).

Yellow Wagtails spend most of their time running or walking on the ground searching for small insects and invertebrates. Some of their prey is caught in the air.

They often forage for flies, beetles and other insects around livestock grazing in fields.

Yellow Wagtails start to arrive in Britain from West Africa in early April and peak numbers are reached at the beginning of May. The breeding season finishes in August and birds form flocks before returning to their wintering quarters in West Africa.

“Britain holds almost the entire world population of the distinctive race flavissima, so population changes in the UK are of global conservation significance” (BTO – Trends: please see below).

The British Trust for Ornithology have provided a map of the breeding distribution of Yellow Wagtails in Britain - https://app.bto.org/mapstore/StoreServlet?id=334

Pairs breed in a variety of damp habitats which include wet pastures and meadows, wetland fringes, marshes and riverbanks. Arable fields, particularly those with potatoes, peas, beans and oil-seed rape, have been increasingly used as nest sites in recent years.

The nest is made of grasses lined with finer materials such as wool and fur in a hollow on the ground.

The female lays five or six eggs which take 13 days to incubate. The young learn to fly after 16 days. Both parents care for their young and may return to West Africa as a family.

The Yellow Wagtail, Motacilla flava, is classified of Least Concern by IUCN.

Europe accounts for approximately 30% of the global range of the Yellow Wagtail. The European population of Yellow Wagtails has undergone a “moderate decline” between 1980 and 2013.

The Yellow Wagtail is a red-listed species of bird in Britain. They were moved from the green-list to the amber list in 2002 and then to the red list in 2009.

“Breeding populations declined by nearly 75% between 1967 and 2013 and data from Bird Atlas 2007-11 reveal that the species has been lost from the margins of its UK breeding range, which is largely restricted to central and eastern England and the Welsh Marches”.

Yellow Wagtails have been also lost from large parts of East Anglia where it was once “a familiar breeding species” (BTO - https://www.bto.org/understand…/species-focus/yellow-wagtail ).

The Yellow Wagtail population declined by 6% between 2017/18 according to the Breeding Bird Survey (Page 15 - https://www.bto.org/sites/default/files/bbs-report-2018.pdf ).

Yellow Wagtails have been in “rapid decline” since the 1980s and their range has contracted to central and eastern England. Losses in their range have been reported in southern and western Britain and East Anglia.

“The European trend, which comprises several races of the species, has been of moderate decline since 1980” (BTO – Trends: https://app.bto.org/birdtrends/species.jsp?&s=yelwa ).

Yellow Wagtails are considered rare birds in Northern Ireland. They became extinct as a breeding species in 1968 and only single birds of passage have been recorded in recent years.

The Yellow Wagtail is a scarce breeding bird in the Republic of Ireland where it is amber listed. “The yellow wagtail is a…regular passage migrant, found along southern and eastern Irish coastal locations feeding on lowland rough pastures and wet meadows” (Irish News - https://www.irishnews.com/…/take-on-nature-grey-wagtail-an…/ .).

Agricultural intensification has been blamed for the decline of Yellow Wagtails in Britain. “It is thought that land drainage, the conversion of pasture to arable and a decline in invertebrate numbers (notably those associated with livestock) may be behind the decline” (BTO – please see above).

The BTO believes more research on the migration of Yellow Wagtails to and from their wintering grounds in West Africa may provide more information about the declines in their population.

.For more information on the birds of the gardens and countryside of Britain and Ireland, please visit

,http://bird4u.mzzhost.com/index.html

Interesting Articles

Birdguides - Focus on: shades of Yellow Wagtail: https://www.birdguides.com/…/focus-on-shades-of-yellow-wag…/