Nature enthusiast Iain James captured the stunning image of the wading bird at the 200-acre reserve on the banks of the River Colne.

The curlew is on the UK's red list of most endangered bird species, having lost 65 per cent of its population since 1970.

The beautiful bird(Image: Iain James)

The distinctive bird, with its long down-curved bill and mottled brown plumage, is Europe's largest wader.

Britain has more than a quarter of the world's breeding curlew population, making local conservation efforts vital to the species' global survival.

The decline has been dramatic across the UK. In the 20 years up to 2016, populations fell by more than 50 per cent in England and Scotland, more than 80 per cent in Wales, and a staggering 90 per cent in Ireland. In lowland southern England, only about 500 breeding pairs remain.

Habitat loss from intensive farming and predation have contributed to the decline.

The birds use their bills to probe deep into the mud for worms, shellfish and shrimps, but changes to grasslands have reduced the insects and earthworms they depend on.

Fingringhoe Wick, on the Colne Estuary, provides a crucial habitat for curlews.

While some UK-breeding curlews spend winter in Ireland and France, Britain also welcomes an influx of Scandinavian birds during milder winter months.

The Eurasian curlew is known for its bubbling call that once echoed across British moorlands and coastlines.

Conservation groups are now working urgently to try prevent the species from following its close relative, the slender-billed curlew, into extinction.