Speculation is rife in RTÉ that Charlie Bird is preparing to fly his Washington nest and return to Ireland after Christmas because he has had enough of life in the United States.

Station sources say the chief news correspondent has struggled to settle down in America, and he has been criticised for his low public profile since taking the job.

It is understood Bird is keen to return to Dublin where he is one of the state broadcaster's biggest names.

Bird, who turns 60 in September, is in the US on a two-year contract which is due to be reviewed in early January. It is likely that the journalist will then indicate his wish to return home after being in the States for the first year of Barack Obama's presidency.

The rumour mill is already abuzz with talk of who will replace Bird, with Tony Connelly, the station's European correspondent, said to be interested in the high-profile Washington posting.

It cannot be ruled out that cash-strapped RTÉ will close down the Washington bureau altogether to save money; it is also likely that the Beijing bureau will also be subject to review.

One of Bird's colleagues said: "He feels a bit isolated over there and would have been in his absolute element in the midst of the current economic crisis. For Charlie, what is going on now with An Bord Snip Nua and other events would be the kind of story in which he felt most at home."

The popular broadcaster still holds the position of chief news correspondent and can step back into that position whenever he wants. However an RTÉ spokeswoman is downplaying talk of Bird's unhappiness.

"There is no suggestion that Charlie Bird will be coming back to Ireland any time soon. That position is a two-year contract and would come up for a standard review after a year. At this moment, that is the position and it has not changed."

Charlie Bird said in one interview last week that his low profile was because America was "not as big a story" in current economic conditions.

Speaking to TV Now magazine, he said he was in Ireland when Michael Jackson died and insisted he could not go to Los Angeles because RTÉ is "too cash-strapped".

He said: "America isn't as big a story. I mean, the Irish economy is going down the plughole, so there are major stories at home. They get preference.

"I'm doing Morning Ireland and I do all the things that have to be done to cover the patch. If I get a phone call from the RTÉ foreign desk and if there is a story to be done, I do it. If not, I'm looking around to do a story.

"When the time comes for me to reassess, I shall reassess. I have a purpose at the moment; I have a documentary to finish. Despite the talk of one or two newspapers that I'm here crying, the answer is I'm not crying at all.

"I make no bones about this: this was a project for me. It was something I wanted to do and I will reflect on it."