Extremely rare bird spotted in Australia

An extremely rare white bird has been spotted in West Australia for what is believed to be the first time.

Residents of the northern Perth suburb of Mount Lawley were surprised to find the white willie wagtail making its home amongst the suburb's tall trees.

The bird is believed to have a rare condition known as leucism, which causes a partial loss of pigmentation compared to the more common albinism which causes only a loss of the pigment melanin, Xinhua news agency reported.

Brice Wells, a member of Birdlife West Australia, said the sightings of leucistic birds were rare because they rarely survive.

"It's the first one I've heard of," Wells told the ABC on Thursday. "Often they don't survive, sometimes because they're not accepted by their peers.

"They become a little more noticeable, so they're often preyed on quite early and often because they're strange looking they find it hard to get a mate. So the opportunities for them are very limited."

--IANS

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