Seabird breaks Britain's age record

The bird was originally ringed on the islands off the coast of Northumberland on June 28, 1980, when it was just a few days old.

It was ringed by a team of warders including John Walton, who is now National Trust property manager for the islands and was on hand this summer to see the tern when it was re-caught on Inner Farne.

The bird outstrips the previous known record age for an Arctic tern found in the UK, discovered after 29 years, 10 months and 11 days, also on the Farne Islands.

The oldest recorded Arctic tern was a 34-year-old American bird.

Arctic terns make an extraordinary journey each year, migrating from breeding grounds as far north as the Arctic Circle to over-winter in the Antarctic. The bird was recently found to have the longest migration route of any animal, flying an estimated 44,000 miles between Greenland breeding grounds and Antarctica in an "S" shape as it followed prevailing winds to conserve energy.

Mr Walton said the discovery of the tern was "remarkable", with just one in 50 birds which are ringed subsequently being caught again.