Long-haul blackbird may set new record

A blackbird that flew from the UK to Finland in less than a month may have set a new record, birdwatchers say.

The female bird, named Moominmamma, was ringed in Thetford, Norfolk, in March and found 1,700km (1,056m) away in Finland, in April, said the British Trust for Ornithology.

Trust chiefs believe the bird may have set a record, flying on average about 60.02km (37.3m) a day.

To avoid the hazardous crossing of the North Sea, the blackbird would have flown first to Belgium, then through the Netherlands and northern Germany, before flying over the Baltic to Denmark, Sweden and finally Finland.