FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
If Brum saw it flying then the black and white 'wing flash' would also be pretty unmistakable.
Hoopoe In The UK?
- Thread starter Brum
- Start date
What was it doing/ how was it behaving?
It was just fluttering between a few trees and hopping on the ground. Earlier in the year I only saw it flying between trees that were covered in leaves, this time I could actually see it continuously. Didn't seem to fussed about my presence though?
It isn't knocking around today, already checked.
It was just fluttering between a few trees and hopping on the ground. Earlier in the year I only saw it flying between trees that were covered in leaves, this time I could actually see it continuously. Didn't seem to fussed about my presence though?
It isn't knocking around today, already checked.
Hoopoe doesn't normally hop, it runs with a sort of waddle then stops and probes in the turf for insects. They normally choose places with very short grass to feed on so they can access insects with their long bill, like golf courses, mown lawns in gardens but short grass in a park is another option. As mentioned above In flight you can't miss the b/w barred appearance of the wings- it looks rather like a huge butterfly with a bounding sort of flight.
It did have the black wing, wouldn't describe it as like a butterfly though, and it wasn't in short grass but it was very close to short grass. The park is slightly wooded at one end with a flat field on the opposite side of the lane that goes past it. It was in the wooded area when I saw it, I may go and take some shots later so you can see what I'm describing.
It was the crest and colour of the bird that swayed me to hoopoe, I can't find anything that even remotely matches that description?
Jays hop!
Yes they do, but they don't tend to look like a hoopoe in appearance though, do they?
Can look very pink. Both are unmistakable for what they are, once you know them.
Did the bird fly away from you? If so the black and white bands on the wings are an immediate give away. They are striking birds, although I have seen all of mine in Southern Europe. Where I live we do have quite some Jays and they have the same "salmon" pinkish colour, the only difference here is that I always see our jays here in the trees, while I saw all my hoopoes on the ground.
I've seen Hoopoes in trees and on the ground. But they don't hop. As Pertinax says, they walk. They aren't shy, and will just walk away from a person continually probing away with the beak (side to side) unless you get too close. The black and white wings are very striking - you wouldn't describe one in flight as having "black wings", it would most definitely be "black and white". And it is usually likened to a butterfly, which sounds strange but when you see it that is exactly how it appears. They are also small birds - at least in Asia where I see them, they are surprisingly small, much smaller than a jay.
eBird
I report all my birding trips here. They will take you seriously if you put notes on why you think it was a hoopoe.
FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
Brum can speak for himself, but the ones I have seen wild had what could be described as a hopping flight, in that they would move a very short distance (<1m) by just flitting up and down again. Possibly that's what Brum was referring to, rather than a strictly mechanical hop ( like a sparrow's).
After listening to the advice then I'm willing to believe it was probably a jay, the only thing I don't understand is the crest, that's what keeps throwing me.
And it was as FG states, it wasn't a sparrow like hop but more of a flitting/hopping movement if that makes sense. Didn't notice the butterfly pattern under the wings either, just looked black with white flashes.
And it was as FG states, it wasn't a sparrow like hop but more of a flitting/hopping movement if that makes sense. Didn't notice the butterfly pattern under the wings either, just looked black with white flashes.
Its not a 'butterfly pattern under the wings'. Its the way it flies- the wings are rounded rather like a butterfly's silhouette.
But the most unmistakeable thing is the broad black and white barring pattern over the whole back of the bird. Long crest at back of head (thin when not raised) and long curved beak. The Jay does also have a short crest however but only apparent when it is raised.
But the most unmistakeable thing is the broad black and white barring pattern over the whole back of the bird. Long crest at back of head (thin when not raised) and long curved beak. The Jay does also have a short crest however but only apparent when it is raised.
This is consistent with the bird I saw, just wish I had managed to get a photo, even just a record shot.
Make a report - contact the county recorder and find out the process - and include all the details you can think of. I'd imagine the form would have specific fields like the shape of the bill, colour, etc (I don't know what the UK forms are like).This is consistent with the bird I saw, just wish I had managed to get a photo, even just a record shot.
It's better to have a mistaken report out there than a bird being missed.
The only other thing I'd add is that Hoopoes are normally both very striking and visible when they are around, so it would be surprising if this(?) one was missed by all other local birdwatchers or even non- birders who would have mentioned it to others etc. Birdy news travels pretty fast...