Bitter winter takes its toll on birds and mammals

London : The coldest winter in more than 30 years has devastated wildlife, say experts.

Thousands of water birds such as herons and kingfishers are likely to have starved to death, unable to break through ice on ponds and streams to get food. Tiny birds such as the wren and goldcrest will have frozen in the prolonged sub-zero temperatures.

Small mammals such as the shrew and overwintering butterflies including the red admiral will also have been badly hit.

But the bitter weather will have been welcomed by some species. Hibernating mammals need the cold to stay asleep, and freezing temperatures help kill off parasites and diseases.

Friday, however was the first official day of spring and marked an end to the coldest winter since 1979.

British Waterways, which looks after 3,520km of canals, said the cold winter had hit birds which feed from still or slow-moving water.