A pair of cranes have successfully reared a chick to fledging in Wicken Fen, in East Anglia, in what is thought to be the first time in hundreds of years.

The cranes have chosen to breed at Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire, which is cared for by the National Trust, since 2019, but this is the first time they have successfully reared a chick.

The common crane is 4ft tall, making it Britain’s tallest bird, and was native to East Anglia’s fenlands before it was driven to extinction in this country in the 16th century because of hunting and the draining of its wetland habitat.