A rare little stint, a bird not breeding in the UK, was spotted at Farmoor Reservoir in Oxfordshire.
Little stints breed in arctic Europe and Asia. A treaty protects these migratory waterbirds, an agreement about African and Eurasian birds.
These birds are not common winter sightings in Britain. This bird species does not breed in the UK; they migrate through, but are rare this time. Young birds usually appear in autumn. Spring sightings of adults are much less common.
Very few of these birds winter here, as most migrate to Africa. They usually weigh 20 to 40 kg, and wingspans measure 34 to 37 centimeters. Their main food is insects, crustaceans, and mollusks.
The birds are 12 to 14 centimeters long overall. They live in marine, wetland, and grassland areas. They are brownish-grey in color; winter birds are greyer. They are usually very white underneath, and autumn birds have pale stripes down the back.