ONE bird has been crowned king in Bolton as part of a project which has identified 10 birds to represent each of the boroughs in Greater Manchester.

A survey launched by the Greater Manchester Birding City Region Project, entitled 'The Perfect Ten', revealed that 77 percent of respondents agreed the kingfisher should represent Bolton, with more than half having spotted the bird.

The birds, which are easily recognisable with their blue backs and yellow breasts, usually live along riverbanks and can be spotted in Bolton at sites such as Moses Gate Country Park, Doffcocker Lodge and Jumbles Country Park.

The aim of the project is to raise awareness of the birds while increasing civic pride, and providing a basic framework for a future Greater Manchester Ecotourism Plan.

James Walsh, known as the Mancunian Birder, launched the survey as part of the United Nations decade of ecosystem restoration programme.

He said: "The idea is to promote birds and birdwatching in the city region by creating something recognisable like the big five you have in Africa, so we came up with the idea of the big 10 in Greater Manchester.

"Hopefully it will provide a boost to eco-tourism across the city-region.

"The kingfisher is well-known in Bolton and there is even a trail named after the it.

"Late summer is the perfect time to try and spot them as that is when they are fledgling, although there are here all year round.

"All the birds we selected are here for the whole year, which was an important factor for us.

"You can see kingfishers along riverbanks and near streams."

Some of the birds representing other boroughs including the little egret for Bury and the willow tit for Wigan.

James added: "We spent two years carrying out research, including cycling 5,000 miles around Greater Manchester and looking at bird reports so each resident bird was something that can be seen at all times of the year."