Hundreds of visitors arrived in the early hours of this morning to catch a glimpse of the rare bird of prey, which could be seen clearly from the raptor roost platform at the nature reserve.

The black-winged kite is a species primarily of open land and semi-deserts in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia, but it has a foothold within Europe most notably in Spain, Portugal and France.

The first UK sighting of the bird was in Mid Wales on the outskirts of Newtown, Powys in April 2023, but it is not known how long the bird stayed in that location or if it is the same bird which is now in the Hickling vicinity.

Our Reserves Officer, Robert Morgan, at Hickling says: "Black-winged kites have been widely predicted as the next new bird to Britain. Still, it is incredible that a non-migratory bird of prey that has spread from North Africa into Europe has now turned up in Norfolk – and even more special that it has chosen to show at Hickling.

"We have had a rush of visitors heading to Hickling since the early hours – and are really enjoying sharing this wonderful bird with everyone. They are certainly stunning to watch with their long wings, white, grey and black plumage and owl-like forward-facing eyes.

"We cannot guarantee how long our special visitor will stay around – but a trip to Hickling is always a pleasure and right now it is teaming with summer wildlife. We just ask anyone visiting, especially today when the reserve may be busy, to please use our car park and obtain a ticket from the reception."

Our Senior Nature Recovery Manager, Helen Baczkowska, says: "We are seeing an increasing number of bird species arriving in the county that have previously been unusual to Norfolk. In recent years, great white egrets and bee-eaters have raised chicks for the first time in Norfolk, and today brings us the incredible sight of the second-only black-winged kite seen in the UK.

"We suspect this is linked to our changing climate. Pressures such as extreme heat in the areas these species would usually live are affecting their favoured habitats and reducing the availability of food. This is likely to be pushing them to seek out more hospitable areas to live and breed.

"This just shows us how vital it is to create more wildlife habitat, that is connected up across our landscape. As we see our friends and neighbours cancelling holidays to areas of the world that are just too hot, so too is our wildlife having to adapt. To do this, it has to be able to move - not just from country to country, but within our county too. This is why, in addition to managing wonderful nature reserves such as Hickling, we are committed to working with partners and communities to create wildlife-friendly stepping stones throughout our landscape to provide our wildlife safe passage and new homes as our changing climate forces them to move."