A RARE bird normally found in the Mediterranean has been spotted in Kilwinning.

The glossy ibis usually spends its time sunning in the warm regions of Europe, Africa and Asia but it recently made a surprise visit to the Blacklands area.

And stunned twitchers from across the country have been lining up just to catch a sight of the seldom-seen animal.

The bird has been seen most frequently near Blacklands Bowling Club and the surrounding wetland area, oblivious to the excitement of visiting snappers.

The glossy ibis has the body of a curlew and the legs of a flamingo and was first spotted around October 21 before apparently disappearing. But local birdwatcher David Johnstone’s picture (left) shows the bird on its return to the area last Thursday, October 29.

The glossy ibis gets its name from the iridescent sheen on its wings and has become a regular visitor to the south of England. Sightings in Scotland however are rare and this is believed to be the bird’s first recorded visit to Ayrshire for decades.

In August 2014, a pair of ibises were captured attempting to build a nest at an RSPB reserve in Boston, Lincolnshire, the first time any attempt has been made in Britain.

The sighting is Ayrshire's fifth record of a glossy ibis, the last being one in Barassie in 2012. But incredibly the only previous records date back to the turn of the 20th century.

Angus Hogg, assistant birding recorder for Ayrshire, said: "This is the fifth Ayrshire record of glossy ibis, The last one was at Dundonald Camp, Barassie in 2012.

"Previously, the only records date back to the turn of the 19th-20th century.

"The main reason for the rise in UK records recently may well stem from a rapid growth in the Spanish breeding population, many of the recent Scottish birds having come from there."