A RARE bearded vulture has been spotted for the first time in Britain near the second Severn Crossing in Monmouthshire.

The lammergeier vulture was seen on May 12 in Sudbrook perched on rocks near the bridge by Caldicot man Dale Kedward.

The bird can be seen to fly east, then circle and head west.

Darryl Spittle who writes a blog called Gwent Birding, said this is the first record for Britain of this globally vulnerable species.

He said: "They are usually found in mountainous regions and this bird has almost certainly come from the Pyrenees or Alps. This particular bird had been seen in Belgium on May 9 before appearing at Sudbrook on May 12, and has been seen at various locations on Dartmoor on May 16 and today."

The bird spotted in Gwent is believed to be a genuine wild bird as it has no obvious signs of bleached flight feathers which are more common with bearded vultures which have been released in the Alps as part of reintroduction programmes.

The bird's estimated global population is between 2,000 and 10,000. The bearded vulture mainly eats dead animals and lives and breeds on crags in high mountains in southern Europe, the Caucasus, Africa, the Indian subcontinent and Tibet.