A hi-tech hearing aid which can tune in to bird song was launched in the UK yesterday.

The £995 Audeo Mini is said to be the smallest and most advanced hearing aid in the world.

About the size of a jelly bean, it is packed with sophisticated circuitry designed to adapt to changing "soundscapes".

The device can selectively focus on specific speech sources to reduce distracting background noise.

It also enables the wearer to detect high frequency sounds such as a bird singing, or the softest whispers.

Both kinds of sound are often the first to go when hearing deteriorates.