Expert’s plea to cat owners as rare songbird killed after journey from Siberia

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Songbird was killed by cat after epic flight

Rare: Experts said the bird had flown off course while heading south (Chris Hind)

A Siberian songbird known for being vanishingly rare in the UK has died at the paws of a pet cat.

The owner, from Brampton, Cumbria, reported the kill to her local RSPB after her cat brought home what she realised was a rare species.

The tiny creature with orange-red feathers was identified as a Siberian rubythroat by Chris Hind, Cumbria’s county recorder for birds.

Hind said there had only been 17 accepted records of the bird in UK from 1975 to 2022.

Josh Jones, senior editor of Bird Guides, said: ‘After such a long journey from the vast wilderness of Siberia, it has perished in the most unfortunate of circumstances.’

Cat brings dead extremely rare songbird into home. A songbird described as a "national rarity" has been found dead after it was caught by a cat. A woman said her "heart sank" after her cat brought the dead Siberian rubythroat - a species related to the European robin - into her home in Brampton, Cumbria, on Sunday. Chris Hind, Cumbria's county recorder for birds, said there had only been 17 accepted records of Siberian rubythroat in Britain between 1975 and 2022 due to it being a "very secretive" bird, making this "an extraordinary scenario". He said the bird, which would be sent off for scientific research, was "very underweight at 28g" and had likely flown from Siberia. PERMISSION TO USE

Museum: The Siberian rubythroat has distinct orange/red feathers (Chris Hind)

Jones urged cat owners to fit their pets with bells in order to warn birds, adding: ‘Such deaths are perfectly avoidable by taking the right steps.’

He told BBC the bird was underweight and appeared to have flown ‘off course’ while migrating south.

He said: ‘At this time of year, Siberian rubythroats should be heading south from their Siberian breeding grounds to spend the winter in South-East Asia, highlighting just how far off course this bird in Cumbria was.’

The bird is set to be displayed in Tullie museum in Carlisle.