Bird lovers are flummoxed as to how an exotic visitor, usually at home in the high mountains of Chile, found itself stuck in the mud flats of Craven.

The Puna Ibis was rescued from a sewage settlement pool near Skipton bypass after firefighters were alerted by bird watchers.

It is now being cared for by RSPCA officers in Bradford, where it has been checked over by a vet.

But how it arrived in Craven and became stuck in the mud near the western bypass remains a mystery.

Suggestions the bird might have got blown off course have been dismissed because it is not migratory.

So experts are guessing it might have escaped from a sanctuary or a private collection.

RSPCA officer Sarah Rodley said the bird was an extremely rare find in Yorkshire.

"It is a not a migratory bird so we suspect it has escaped from somewhere," she said.

She reckons it had been stuck up to its neck in the sludge for at least four hours before it was rescued by the fire service. She said: "Only its head was sticking out. I think it had given up. It had been struggling so long it had become exhausted."

Firefighters in Skipton used a special inflatable platform to crawl along and reach the bird, which was about 30ft out into the pool of sludge.

Once retrieved, it was taken down to the RSPCA's animal rescue centre in Bradford and was cleaned up and inspected by a vet to ensure it had not swallowed any toxins.

Longer term, it is hoped the bird might be re-homed, possibly Harewood House or one of the RSPCA sanctuaries.

The ibis's plight was spotted by members of Cononley Ornithology Group when bird watching in the flooded areas around Cononley Ings.

Member Roy Clarke said: "My guess is that it is probably an escapee from a private collection or bird sanctuary."

e-mail: clive.white@bradford.newsquest.co.uk

FACT FILE
  • The Puna Ibis is a large wading bird, a member of the Threskiornithidae family which is related to herons and storks.
  • Its usual habitat is the temperate high-altitude zones of north central Peru, south to the Titicaca basin of Peru and Bolivia, and northern Chile.
  • Has a long, thin, downward-curved bill with a body of dark purplish-brown with purple and green highlights.
  • Can grow to two feet in height with a wing span of three feet.