One of the world's smallest birds has been captured in a series of stunning images taken at an Ipswich park.
A Firecrest, a beautiful and rare bird in the UK, was spotted by photographer Matt Garnham in Holywells Park in Ipswich on Friday, October 11.
The photographer snapped the tiny bird which weighs just five grams and shared the images on social media.
In 2020 there were estimated to be just around 200 to 400 Firecrests in the UK by the Rare Breeding Birds Panel.
Recent statistics say their populations have grown to around 550 breeding pairs, but the bird remains incredibly rare in the UK.
They are currently protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981.
Alongside the closely related and similar-looking Goldcrest, the average Firecrest has a length of 3.5 inches and a wingspan of 13cm.
They can be recognised by the white line above their eyes, which goldcrests do not possess, as well as the bright orange crown on the head of males.
Females have a similar but more yellow crown.
Firecrests were first recorded breeding in the UK in Hampshire in 1962.
They are now found sparsely in forests in southern England during autumn and winter after migration from Europe across the Northern Sea.
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