An oriental turtle dove appeared in a Lisburn housing estate in County Antrim around December. The bird matches the size of a feral pigeon. Local householders noticed the unusual species but did not identify it at first.

Niall Hatch, head of communications and development at BirdWatch Ireland, confirmed the sighting. A local birdwatcher shared images last week. The bird displays a dark body, scalloped pattern on its back, pinkish chest, gray head, and black-and-white speckled half-collars on each side of its neck. It perches in trees and remains hard to observe.

This is the first recording of an oriental turtle dove on the island of Ireland, according to Hatch. The species breeds in areas such as Russia and Korea and migrates to southern Asia for winter. Some birds possess faulty migration genes that direct them incorrectly.

Few such birds survive the journey across Asia and Europe to reach Lisburn, Hatch noted. Migration instincts may soon compel the dove to leave.