Rare chicken which does not nest within the UK lands in a backyard in Norfolk
- Linda Moederzoon, from Bridgham, Norfolk, spotted the bird in her back garden
A bird-watcher and nature lover has been fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of one the rarest birds in Britain.
Linda Moederzoon, from Bridgham, Norfolk, spotted the hoopoe bird in her back garden, where she said it stayed for three days.
Hoopoes are easy to spot for bird-watchers thanks to their distinctive headcrest, with a few might visit the south coast of England each year.
The size of a mistle thrush, hoopoes, which emit a smell of rotting meat, can usually be seen when they overshoot their more common European nesting sites when migrating north from Africa.
This appears to be the case when it came to Mrs Moederzoon’s sighting of the animal when it arrived in her back garden in April.
Linda Moederzoon, from Bridgham, Norfolk, spotted the hoopoe bird in her back garden, where she said it stayed for three days
Hoopoes are easy to spot for bird-watchers thanks to their distinctive headcrest, with a few might visit the south coast of England each year
‘I opened up the blinds and I just could not believe what was in front of me – right by the back door, it was so close,’ she said, per BBC News.
‘I do have so many birds come to our garden because we feed them every day’.
She managed to open her back stable door, which had a beaded curtain, and photograph the bird which she remarked was a mere 10 steps away from her.
With striped wings and brown and pink feathers, its appearance is as distinctive as the ‘Oop Oop’ call after which the bird gets its name.
‘I knew what it was straightaway. I thought it might only stay a minute or two, so I thought I’ll be very, very careful,’ Linda added.
She said she was able to take multiple photos of the bird as she wished because it seemed content in her garden.
‘It was just interested in the leatherjackets in the grass. It was just so hungry and ate leatherjackets all day long, for hours and hours.
‘Then it would have a rest, have a dust bath, preen itself.’
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) said there were just 120 sightings of the birds in the UK a year, adding that it is a ‘real treat’ for anyone to see one
The RSPB said the hoopoe that was seen by Linda was not native to the UK and did not breed in the UK.
The size of a mistle thrush. hoopoes can usually be seen when they overshoot their more common European nesting sites when migrating north from Africa
