ONE of the rarest birds to be seen in Britain since the extinction of the great auk two centuries ago has been accepted on to the country's most endangered list after a sighting in the North-East.

The slender-billed curlew was spotted among a flock of curlew in Druridge Bay, Northumberland, in 1998, by Tim Cleeves, a Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB) officer based in Yorkshire.

It remains the most recent confirmed sighting of a slender-billed curlew anywhere in the world, and has given hope for the continued survival of a bird with a tiny global population.

Mr Cleeves said: "It is every birdwatcher's dream to see rare birds, but to spot the ornithological highlight of the past two centuries is beyond anyone's wildest dreams.

"Although there have been claimed sightings of other slender-billed curlews since 1998, none of these have been officially accepted.

"I could have the dubious honour of being the first birdwatcher to see a slender-billed curlew in Britain, and one of the last in the world to see one alive."

The slender-billed curlew is so rare, only one nest has ever been discovered, over a century ago.

RSPB research scientist Dr Debbie Pain said: "The slender-billed curlew is critically endangered and it could easily become one of the first extinctions of this millennium."