A PREHISTORIC-LOOKING bird that
last cast its mighty shadow over the British landscape during the Iron Age has
made a sensational comeback.
PUBLISHED: 14:34, Tue, May
10, 2016 | UPDATED: 14:58, Tue, May 10, 2016
Amazed birdwatchers have been
charting the movements of the mysterious Dalmatian
pelican after it touched down in Cornwall at the weekend.
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| Dalmatian pelican |
Only when photographs of the huge
fish-eating bird with its 11-ft wingspan and enormous red bill were studied
carefully was it confirmed that one of Europe’s rarest and most threatened
species had returned to Britain after a gap of more than 2,000 years.
Twitchers who tally rare bird
have been monitoring the pelican’s progress around the West Country as they may
well be able to include it on their lists of authentic sighting.
The huge fish-eating bird with
its 11-ft wingspan and enormous red bill were studied carefully
Experts have been analysing
photographs and believe the pelican may be the same individual seen in Poland,
Germany and France in recent weeks.
The nearest breeding colonies of
Dalmatian pelicans to the UK are in Bulgaria and Greece but individuals are known
to wander from their nesting grounds and weather conditions
have highly favourable in recent days to push one eastwards from the Continent
to the UK.
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