Rare exotic hoopoe snapped in Staffordshire
A species of bird so rare it has been pictured on less than 20 occasions in the region has been snapped by an amateur photographer.
Louie Horleston managed to capture the exotic hoopoe after it had been blown inland and off course from during its annual migration from Africa.
Mr Horleston, 58, who is retired, said he often took pictures in Wall Heath near Highgate Common Reserve, where the bird was spotted, for the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust.
He said: "I knew exactly what it was when I saw it but I was in complete shock.
"The colours are so striking and sometimes it fans its feathers on its head. It really is an incredible looking bird."
The hoopoe is an exotic looking bird the size of a mistle thrush that has a pinkish-brown body, striking black and white wings, a long black down-curved bill, and a long pinkish-brown crest, which it raises when excited.
It does not breed in the UK but as many as 100 birds can turn up in spring while migrating north to Europe from Africa. They sometimes overshoot and land on the south coast of England but very rarely venture in as far as the Midlands.
Mr Horleston, from Stoke-on-Trent, said: "It has been there for about a week.
"They tend to get blown off course and will not move on until there is a break in the weather.
"You can get a few in the west coast but they are still extremely rare. For one to get blown in so far is phenomenal really.
"They like to dig into softer ground with their beaks, so sometimes they can be seen in people's gardens."
A hoopoe call is made with soft, quick, "poo-poo-poo" notes, which gives them their name.
They nest in cavities in rocks, trees and buildings and feed on the ground, searching for insects, worms, small reptiles and other creatures.
Jon Owen, spokesman for the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, said: "There have only ever been 20 recordings of the bird in Staffordshire."
