Bearded vulture: Rare sighting of the enormous bird in the UK

It is believed to be only the second time the bird has been seen in the UK

A bearded vulture has been spotted roosting in the Peak District, near Sheffield.

It's one of the largest birds ever seen in the United Kingdom and it is only the second time that one has been spotted in the UK.

More than 100 birdwatchers from all over flocked to get a glimpse of the bird which is bigger than a golden eagle.

Tim Birch, from Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, said the bird was about two years old and had flown over to the UK from the Alps, a mountain range in mainland Europe, where the endangered species is being reintroduced.

"It's incredibly rare and so impressive," he said.

"It's without a doubt one of the biggest birds ever seen in the wild here."

Experts believe the bird may have ended up in the UK after being blown off course by bad weather

Spectacular sight

One of the people lucky enough to see, and photograph, it was 15-year-old Indy, he was so excited that he "almost fainted" when he saw it.

"It was absolutely unforgettable," he said.

"There were about 100 people watching it and we were all so pleased. When I saw it I almost dropped my camera.

"We watched it for five hours and it was so chill. It was definitely worth it."

Indy said he met birdwatchers from all over the UK trying to see the bird

Unusual diet

The fully grown bearded vulture has a wingspan of three metres but it isn't a threat to humans or animals because it has a very unusual diet.

It is the only known vertebrate (animal with a backbone) whose diet consists almost exclusively - 70 to 90% - of bone.

It's particularly unusual to see a bearded vulture in the UK because it's usually found high up in the mountains of southern Europe, the Caucasus, Africa and Tibet.

It's thought that there are under 10,000 bearded vultures left in the world.

The species was previously extinct in Europe, but has been successfully reintroduced to the Spanish Pyrenees and the Swiss and Italian Alps.

The only other time one was spotted in the UK was back in 2016, in Devon.