A bird has been confirmed as the oldest of its kind in the UK at 36 years old – more than five times the average lifespan for the species.
Conservationists are celebrating after finding a record-breaking Avocet at RSPB Middleton Lakes in Staffordshire.
The bird has set a new national record at 36 years of age after being originally ringed at RSPB Titchwell in Norfolk on 2 July 1990
The RSPB called it “an incredible success” for a species that was lost as a breeding bird from the UK during the 1840s.
James Robinson, RSPB chief operating officer, said: “Finding this record-breaking Avocet is a fantastic moment for nature. As the bird features on the RSPB’s logo, the Avocet symbolises hope and the incredible recovery that is possible when people come together to help wildlife.”
The species disappeared as a breeding bird from the UK by 1840 after widespread wetland drainage for agriculture and development.
Its return began in 1947 when four breeding pairs arrived on the Suffolk coast at what would later become RSPB Minsmere.
Jon Carter, from the British Trust for Ornithology, said: “Ringing data makes a major contribution to the study of population changes and to our overall understanding of species declines.
“Ringing also helps us monitor longevity in 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, a significant increase from the four pairs found in the 1940s