Rose-coloured Starling: Bird watchers flock to Ipswich to see rare bird

A quiet residential street found itself at the centre of a frenzy of excitement for several hours as word spread that a rare bird had been spotted in the area.

The Rose-coloured Starling, normally found in eastern Europe, was seen in the garden of a house in Larchcroft Close, Ipswich, on Saturday.

Simon Fisk, 40, who lives in the road, said there were about 200 visitors.

"The road was jam packed and there was a constant flow of twitchers from about 10:00," he said.

"They were coming in groups of what seemed about 30 at a time.

"One of the residents has a cherry tree and apparently the bird was there numerous times throughout the day.

"The neighbours were very accommodating, letting them into the gardens so they could get a better view."

He said there had been a "handful" of visitors now but "nothing like yesterday".

The bird is also known as the Rosy Starling and Rose-colour Pastor.

The name Pastor comes from the Latin "pastor" meaning shepherd.

The adult has a pink body and black head.

One of the twitchers, Chris Mee, said: "The bird is not a British species. It is the first time I've seen one."

Mr Mee, from Ipswich, said he had been bird watching for 30 years.

Bird watcher Jason Ward, from Harlow, Essex, said: "The starling is a real stunner."

The birds are nomadic, travelling in huge flocks to winter in tropical Asia, mainly feeding on berries, fruits, grasshoppers and locusts.