A Wellington photographer out for her daily lockdown walk has seen an extremely rare bird.

In Kelburn, very near the CBD, photographer Holly Neill captured a white tauhou (waxeye) - a leucistic bird with just pure white and bright yellow feathers.

Neill said less traffic and noise due to the nationwide coronavirus lockdown might mean the birds are exploring further than they used to.

"It is amazing to see a leucistic tauhou that seemed to be an adult bird, because often leucistic birds are preyed upon more easily since they stand out so much."

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HOLLY NEILL/SUPPLIED In the Wellington suburb of Kelburn photographer Holly Neill captured this rare white tauhou (waxeye) just 500m from her home.

Neill said going on daily walks on the exact same route each day, she's been paying close attention to the birds she sees along the way.

"I've been spending a lot more time in the garden than usual too, like most people, and had an awesome day last week where I saw tūī, kākā, kereru, pīwakawaka, riroriro, tauhou and a ruru in one day."

Zealandia have already said the native birds in their sanctuary are becoming more curious during the lockdown.

Fantails have been spotted playing in the city's abandoned Lambton Quay, and Zealandia rangers spotted a kārearea (New Zealand falcon) unusually hunting near the sanctuary's entrance.

HOLLY NEILL/SUPPLIED Zealandia conservation manager Dr Danielle Shanahan says the tauhou was a "very rare sighting".

Zealandia conservation manager Dr Danielle Shanahan said Neill's bird was a "very rare sighting".

"What a beautiful bird ... I have never been lucky enough to see one and certainly have never heard reports of them at Zealandia."

Neill said all the backyard trapping around Wellington must be making an impact to help such a brightly coloured bird make it to adulthood.

She was only 500 metres from her house when she took the photos of the white tauhou.

"Self-isolating and social distancing during a lockdown doesn't mean we have to miss out on the wonders that our gardens and backyards have to show us."

HOLLY NEILL/SUPPLIED The extremely rare white tauhou (waxeye) is a leucistic bird with just pure white and bright yellow feathers.

Leucism, or leukism, is an abnormal plumage condition caused by a genetic mutation. It prevents pigment on a bird's feathers.

In 2017, a photographer in Whangarei spotted a rare white piwakawaka (fantail) with leucism.

A usual waxeye, or silvereye, is dark grey and green with a distinct white ring around its eye.

The small and friendly, not threatened bird species self-introduced itself to New Zealand forests in the 1800s, and now has a wide distribution throughout the country.