Britain’s smallest bird was spotted in Snaresbrook today.
Three rare firecrests, which are a tiny 3.5ins long, were seen by birdwatcher Stuart Fisher in Hollybush Hill.
Ornithologist Dominic Mitchell, founder of Birdwatch magazine, said the brightly coloured birds are “scarce”.
He added: “They are visitors to London but to have more than one in one place is unusual, let alone seeing several outside of their usual habitat in evergreen woodland.”
The RSPB estimates there are only 80 to 250 breeding males in the UK.
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