The brass eagle has landed after theft from church

The brass eagle lectern top is a common feature in many Victorian churches

A brass eagle that was stolen from the top of a church lectern has been returned.

The Reverend Matthew Tomlinson, vicar at St Augustine’s Church in Birmingham, said a week after the 10 June theft, the church warden received a call from a member of the public who said they had traced the item to a scrap metal dealer in the Black Country.

And from that mystery development, another - the bird returned to the church that evening.

“There had been so much publicity about it, people would have been aware of what it was and it would’ve been very difficult to dispose of," Mr Tomlinson said.

Church leaders had since taken additional security measures at the Edgbaston venue, he explained.

The lectern is a common feature of Victorian churches and Mr Tomlinson said the one at St Augustine’s was more than 150 years old.

“A lot of people were very concerned about the loss of this eagle,” Mr Tomlinson said.

“It was made by a local church designer, John Hardman, and it’s quite a good example of his work.”

He told the BBC: “I’m quite an optimistic person so I did hold out hope that [the eagle] would turn up again, [but] I didn’t think it would turn up quite as quickly as it did."

Mr Tomlinson said the church had since taken additional security precautions following the eagle's return

Mr Tomlinson said he was overjoyed at the eagle's return, adding theft would not prevent him from opening the church.

“My feeling is if the doors are open, more people come in and that’s a good thing," he explained.

“The vast majority of people are honest and do not steal from churches.”

The church has installed a motion sensor and other measures to stop the bird taking flight in the future.