There has been much excitement in the bird watching world after a sighting in Cornwall of what has been described as an “effectively extinct” bird.
A single rare Golden Oriole was spotted in West Cornwall today (Saturday) with people flocking to Gulval, near Penzance for the chance to see it and photograph it.
The RSPB describes it as a blackbird-sized bird, the male of which has an unmistakable bright yellow body with black wings, while the females have additional cream/buff, white and green feathering.
Today’s sighting has a white chest with a spattering of dull green feathers, indicating it is a female of the species.
The RSPB states: “Golden Orioles are very secretive birds and keep to the high tree canopy.
“They can be heard, most often at dawn, making their distinctive fluting whistle.”
It flies with a slight bounce, similar to a thrush.
Golden Orioles are listed as a Schedule 1 species. This means that it is protected by law, and it is an offence to intentionally disturb any of these species during the breeding season without a valid licence.
It is more commonly seen in April, May and June.
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The British Trust for Ornithology says: “Formerly a rare but regular breeder, the Golden Oriole is now a scarce visitor, most commonly reported in the spring, from April to the middle of June.
“The last regular breeding took place in East Anglia, and the bird's disappearance has been linked to declining populations elsewhere.”
It goes on to add: “The species is now effectively extinct as a breeding species in the UK.
“Occasional singing males continue to be reported to the Rare Breeding Birds Panel in most years, but the last confirmed breeding was in 2009.”
The Golden Oriole was first recorded in Medieval times and has the Latin name ‘Oriolus oriolus’.
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