Rare white puffin visits its black cousins off the Isles of Scilly

This rare white Atlantic puffin was seen playing with its more common black friends off the Isles of Scilly.

Barbara Fryer, from Umberleigh, Devon, who took the picture, said: “I’ve seen many puffin colonies and have never seen a white one before.” The bird — once considered mythical — is the result of leucism, in which colour pigments form but are diluted.

Albinism is a genetic mutation that prevents the strong black pigment — melanin — from forming. With leucism, colour pigments form but are diluted.



Ms Fryer, who photographed the puffin from a boat, said: “We had been out every day that week taking photos of puffins and we saw the white one on the last day. It was lovely to see it swimming underwater and I am thrilled to have got the shots I wanted in quite difficult conditions.

“The white puffin was sitting on the water as we were floating near rocks, watching adults return to their nests to feed their young.

“It played around with the other puffins for about 15 minutes before flying away. They didn’t seem to mind its unusual colour and treated it like a good friend.”