Rare bird ‘brought back from brink’ makes UK history | UK | News
One bird has been confirmed as the oldest of its kind in the UK at 36 years old, more than five times the average lifespan of the species.
Conservationists are celebrating after finding a record-breaking Avocet at RSPB Middleton Lakes in Staffordshire.
The bird set a new national record at the age of 36 after being ringed at RSPB Titchwell in Norfolk on 2 July 1990.
The RSPB called it an “incredible achievement” for a species that disappeared as a breeding bird from the UK in the 1840s.
RSPB operations officer James Robinson said: “Finding this record-breaking Avocet is a fantastic moment for nature. With the bird features in the RSPB’s logo, the Avocet symbolizes hope and the incredible recovery that is possible when people come together to help wildlife.”
The species disappeared as a breeding bird in the United Kingdom in 1840 following widespread wetland drainage for agriculture and development.
Its comeback began in 1947, when four breeding pairs arrived on the Suffolk coast, which later became RSPB Minsmere.
Jon Carter, of the British Trust for Ornithology, said: “The theft of data makes a huge contribution to the study of population changes and our overall understanding of species declines.
“Ringing also helps us track the lifespan of wild birds, and this remarkable record is a great example of this.”
Today, there are an estimated 1950 breeding pairs of Avocets and 8700 wintering birds in the UK; this is a significant increase from the four pairs found in the 1940s.
