Rare albino 'snow robin' spotted at South Devon Tennis Centre

  • Watch a rare albino robin enjoying a tasty mealworm in this video by James Crook

An amateur photographer from Devon has filmed a rare albino robin enjoying a dinner of mealworms.

James Crook from Ivybridge often visits South Devon Tennis Centre in the hope of spotting some of the birdlife. Early in April, his vigilance was rewarded with the sight of a strange greyish bird.

He said: "At first I thought it could be some kind of grey wagtail. It wasn't until I got home and 'Googled' it that I realised I'd been looking at an albino robin.

"I'm just so lucky to have been there at the right time."

Apparently 1 in 30,000 robins are born albino, like this one spotted in Ivybridge. Credit: James Crook

How rare are albino robins?

It is thought around one in 30,000 robins have albinism. They are also known as snow robins. The absence of the bird's famous red breast and general lack of colour is the result of a genetic mutation.

At their most extreme they can be pure white and have pink eyes - although the one photographed in Ivybridge is more grey and greyish beige.

This charming little bird - photographed at the South Devon Tennis Centre on 12 April - comes across as quite a character. Credit: James Crook

The birds generally tend to struggle to find a mate and they often do not survive because they get picked on by other birds and stand out to predators.

James Crook has now seen this extraordinary little bird on at least three occasions.