Hundreds of unusual feathered visitors have touched down at LF Wade International Airport in a bid to dodge severe weather in North America.

Bird preservation group the Audubon Society said more than 1,000 plovers, also known as killdeer, have been spotted at the airport and elsewhere during the past few days.

The shorebirds have been sighted in gardens and on parks, football pitches, beaches and golf courses from Somerset to St George’s.

Hundreds have set up temporary home at the airport.

Killdeer can be found across the Americas, including Canadian provinces like Ontario, southern parts of Alaska, the southern half of the United States and parts of Peru.

But recent blizzards and strong winds in the US have forced a move across the Atlantic in a search for milder weather.

Audubon Society president Andrew Dobson said: “As a result of the severe winter storm Grayson in eastern North America, there has been a massive arrival of killdeer this week.

“Their plaintive high call may draw people’s attention. In fact, they were known as the noisy plover in the 18th century.

“The killdeer is active both day and night and can often be heard calling overhead in the darkness.”