A bird so rare it has virtually disappeared from Kent's woodlands has been put under special watch.

The willow tit used to be widespread in Kent and the rest of the UK, but its numbers have plummeted over the last three decades, and recorded sightings in Kent have come to a virtual standstill.

Now it is to come under the watchful eye of the RSPB's rare breeding birds panel - which charts the UK's rarest birds.

Also under scrutiny is the lesser spotted woodpecker, which is an increasingly rare sound in Kent.

The populations of both species are only a fraction of the levels recorded in the 1970s, when they were widespread.

Steve Gilbert of the RSPB South East said: "It's very worrying that the willow tit and the lesser spotted woodpecker have joined the list of rare breeding birds, and sad news for Kent that we're losing these species locally.

The RSPB's Dr Mark Eaton is a panel member.

He said: "It is tragic to think that within many people's memories these woodland birds were so widespread and now they are so rare.

"Since the 1970s, we've lost nine out of 10 pairs of willow tit and three out of four pairs of lesser spotted woodpecker, and in many areas these birds have disappeared completely."

Between 1970 and 2008 the willow tit and lesser spotted woodpecker have declined by 91 and 76 per cent respectively.

Every year, since 1970, the British population of willow tit has dropped by more than six per cent per year, and over the same period, the lesser spotted woodpecker has fallen by three per cent per year.

For further information on the work of the Rare Breeding Birds Panel, please visit the RSPB website.