Rare Siberian songbird killed by cat in Cumbria

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 14 Nov, 18:08 · Archive

A Siberian rubythroat, one of only 17 recorded in the UK since 1975, has been found dead in Cumbria after being caught by a domestic cat.

A Siberian rubythroat, one of Britain's rarest birds, has been found dead in Brampton, a remote valley in north Cumbria, after being caught by a domestic cat. The woman who owns the cat heard her cat flap and her heart sank when the animal brought in a dead bird. She recognised the bird's distinctive orange-red feather patch under its beak as something unusual and placed it in her freezer while she researched the species.

She subsequently contacted the RSPB, which alerted Chris Hind, Cumbria's county recorder for birds. Hind confirmed the bird was a Siberian rubythroat and described the find as 'extraordinary'. The species has been recorded only 17 times in the UK between 1975 and 2022, with 15 of those sightings in the northern Scottish isles. Only two accepted records exist from mainland Britain, making this discovery unprecedented for Cumbria.

The bird breeds in Siberia and normally migrates south to winter in south-east Asia, making its appearance in Cumbria thousands of miles off course. The dead bird was underweight at 28 grams, compared to a healthy weight of around 75 grams. Josh Jones, senior editor of Bird Guides, described it as 'tragic' that the bird had completed such a long journey only to be killed by a pet cat.

Hind said that quite why the bird headed west rather than south remains a mystery, though he pointed to similar cases with yellow-browed warblers. He suggested that what was once thought to be birds getting lost may be 'something rather more purposeful'. Jones urged cat owners to fit their pets with bells to warn birds and said such deaths were 'perfectly avoidable by taking the right steps'.

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

How it is being reported

• Expert’s plea to cat owners as rare songbird killed after journey from SiberiaRare: 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…Metro · 14 Nov, 18:01
• Rare Siberian songbird killed by cat after making extraordinary journey to BritainA Siberian rubythroat, one of the rarest birds ever recorded in Britain, has been found dead in the Cumbrian town of Brampton after falling victim to a domestic cat. The species, a relative of the European robin, has been documented on just 17 occasions across the UK between 1975 and 2022, with 15 of those sightings occurring in the northern Scottish isles. Chris Hind, Cumbria's county recorder for birds, called the find "extraordinary," noting that only two accepted records exist from mainland Britain. The bird had never previously been spotted in Cumbria. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say…GB News · 14 Nov, 10:11
• Extremely rare songbird that had flown to UK from Siberia is found dead after it was caught by a catA woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said her cat brought the deceased Siberian rubythroat into her home in Brampton, Cumbria, on Sunday.Daily Mail · 13 Nov, 15:33
• ‘Incredibly unusual’ bird migrating from Siberia found in Cumbria – killed by catSiberian rubythroat was thousands of miles off course from its route to winter in south or south-east Asia A bird that flies south from its breeding grounds in Siberia to winter in south and south-east Asia has been found thousands of miles off course in Cumbria. Regrettably, it was found by a cat. Chris Hind, Cumbria’s county recorder for birds, said it was “extraordinary” that a Siberian rubythroat was found on his patch, albeit dead. There have been only 17 recorded instances of the bird in the UK, 15 of those in the northern Scottish isles. Continue reading...Guardian World · 13 Nov, 14:00

In this story: Chris Hind · RSPB · Brampton · Cumbria · Siberia · Tullie House museum · Carlisle · Josh Jones

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