LONDON (AFP) The distinctive cry of the cuckoo, which signifies the arrival of spring, is set to become something of a rarity after the grey-blue songbird was added to the Red List of endangered birds.

The list, which has been updated for the first time since 2002, also includes other species such as the lapwing and the yellow wagtail whose appearance in the countryside has become increasingly rare.

The Red List, which in 2002 listed 40 different types of birds as being at risk, now features 52 species out of a total of 246 -- meaning more than one in five of Britain's commonly occurring birds are facing danger of extinction.

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