‘The next parakeet’: Britain’s dawn chorus at risk from Asian songbird

Exclusive: invasive red-billed leiothrix could threaten native bird populations such as robins and blackbirds, researchers warn

A brightly coloured subtropical songbird from Asia could colonise Britain's gardens and change the dawn chorus for ever, a new paper warns.

The highly invasive red-billed leiothrix could threaten native bird populations, particularly competing with garden birds such as the robin and blackbird, researchers say. Early signs suggest this little bird - olive green with a bright red beak and yellow throat - may already be establishing itself in gardens and woodlands in southern parts of the country.