A vulture has been seen roosting in the Peak District near Sheffield

An incredibly rare vulture has been seen roosting in the Peak District.
It spent around 15 hours at Howden Moor (photo: Indy Greene)It spent around 15 hours at Howden Moor (photo: Indy Greene)
It spent around 15 hours at Howden Moor (photo: Indy Greene)

Hundreds of birdwatchers have descended on the Hope Valley, near Sheffield, after a bearded vulture was seen over Howden Moor.

It's only the second time the huge raptor - which is larger than a golden eagle - has ever been seen in the UK.

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Although the bird is actually native to continental Europe, by the early 20th century they had been hunted to extinction. They remain common in Africa and the Indian subcontinent, and in the 1980s they were successfully reintroduced to the French Alps, where the bird seen in the Peak District is thought to have come from.

Another of the species - also known as a lammergeier - from the alpine population was seen over Dartmoor four years ago.

One of the observers to photograph the vulture was a 15-year-old boy who said he 'almost fainted' when he saw it. The teenager described the visitor as 'so chill' after getting up at 2am and hiking across moorland for 90 minutes to catch a glimpse of it.

Experts believe the vulture may have been blown off course during bad weather.

The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has established it is two years old and has come from the Alps. Lammergeiers scavenge for carrion and are not a threat to people or wildlife.