Extremely rare songbird that had flown to UK from Siberia is found dead after it was caught by a cat

Published: 10:33 EST, 13 November 2026 | Updated: 10:39 EST, 13 November 2026 An extremely rare songbird that had flown to the UK from Siberia has been found dead after it was caught by a cat. A woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said her cat brought the deceased Siberian rubythroat into her home in Brampton, Cumbria, on Sunday.Chris Hind, Cumbria's county recorder for birds, said there had only been 17 accepted records of the species in Britain between 1975 and 2022. He described Siberian rubythroats, which are related to the European robin, as 'very secretive' birds, making this 'an extraordinary scenario'.The bird had likely flown to the UK from Siberia and was 'very underweight at 28g', Mr Hind added. Healthy Siberian rubythroats normally weigh around 75g. The cat owner said her 'heart sank' when she realised her pet had brought the dead bird into her house. 'I saw the bird's distinctive beautiful orange-red feather patch under its beak but I couldn't recognise the species,' she told the BBC. The woman said she stored the dead bird in her freezer while she researched what it was and contacted the RSPB. A woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said her cat brought the deceased Siberian rubythroat into her home in Brampton, Cumbria, on Sunday Chris Hind, Cumbria's county recorder for birds, said there had only been 17 accepted records of the species in Britain between 1975 and 2022Josh Jones, the senior editor of the website Bird Guides, said the bird likely had a 'long journey from the vast wilderness of Siberia'. He added that it was 'tragic' it had likely been killed by a pet cat. Mr Jones said: 'At this time of year, Siberian rubythroats should be heading south from their Siberian breeding grounds to spend the winter in South-East Asia, highlighting just how far off course this bird in Cumbria was.' 'After such a long journey from the vast wilderness of Siberia, it has perished in the most unfortunate of circumstances,' he added. Mr Jones said cat owners should fit their cats with warning bells on their collars to prevent them from killing wildlife.