A Northern Parula has been recorded in Ireland for the first time, with multiple sightings reported on the Beara Peninsula in West Cork over the past week.

The small North American warbler is not native to Ireland and is believed to have arrived due to recent Atlantic storms that likely disrupted its migratory route across the ocean.

The first ever reported sightings of the bird species were made to Irishbirding.com during the past week.

Ireland’s Wildlife, a popular Facebook page focused on nature and conservation, posted a photograph of the bird perched in a tree on the Beara Peninsula last Friday.

The Beara Peninsula is known for its unique climate and biodiversity, including temperate rainforests and a high concentration of bryophytes such as mosses and liverworts. It is also a notable habitat for marine mammals.

The Northern Parula, Setophaga americana, typically breeds in mature forests and swamps across eastern and southeastern North America. It nests high in the canopy, often in areas draped with Spanish moss or beard lichens. Males are distinguished by a bluish-gray back, bright yellow throat and chest, a narrow chestnut band across the breast, and a white eye ring. The species is known for its buzzy, rising trill and usually winters in the Caribbean and parts of Central America.