'Shivering' rare bird rescued on cruise ship

The little bird was spotted sheltering from the rain on the 16th deck of the ship

A rare bird endangered across the UK has been rescued after taking shelter from heavy rain on a cruise ship.

The corncrake, an RSPB red-listed bird, was spotted on the 16th deck of Sky Princess by passenger Charlene Halsey and her daughters "shivering" under the step of a hot tub as it travelled to Portland, Dorset.

After regularly checking on the stowaway and noticing it was cold, the family kept it in their cabin overnight before handing it over to a wildlife conservationist when the ship docked.

The bird, slightly bigger than a blackbird, favours dry land and is thought to have landed on board when the ship was cruising in the Mediterranean.

Ms Halsey said: "It was raining quite hard and the poor thing was shivering.

"We monitored it for a while and it was wandering around, seemingly unable to fly."

The stowaway corncrake is thought to have landed on board when the ship was cruising around the Mediterranean

After picking up the small brown bird, they wrapped it in a towel, settled it into their cabin, and named it Aaron Burrd – a playful nod to Aaron Burr from the musical Hamilton.

She said once it was dry and warm, the bird's move quickly improved.

"It was very funny, playing with its reflection in the mirror and throwing my daughter's hairbands in the air," she said.

Keen bird lovers, the family from Epsom, Surrey, said after researching the bird they discovered it was a corncrake.

"So this wasn't a usual situation," said Ms Halsey, who explained they then set out to find somebody who could look after the bird once they docked.

"At the time we didn't realise just how rare this was."

Derek Davey, who specialises in the rescue and rehabilitation of sea birds, met the family at Portland Port and took the bird into his care.

He said: "It must have landed on board when the ship was cruising around the Mediterranean.

"It is eating well but the problem now is that it needs to overwinter somewhere and then be taken back up north in the summer when the other corncrakes return.

"I feel very privileged to have seen one, but also quite nervous with the responsibility in looking after it."

He said that, because of its rarity, he was now working out where it should go next.

Corncrake's have a distinctive "crex crex" call and spend the winter months in Congo in central Africa, migrating back to a few places across Northern Ireland and Scotland's islands and mainland to breed.

Since the 1970s, the corncrake population has hugely declined, leading to them becoming a red-listed species in the UK and Ireland.

Corncrake facts:

• Conservation status: Red

• Diet: Insects and seeds

• Live on dry land

• UK breeding birds: 1,100-calling males Scotland

• Very secretive, spending most of its time hidden in tall grass

Source: RSPB