Mystery Bird - Tenerife (1 Viewer)

Whilst searching for Spectacled Warblers at Golf Del Sur in Tenerife I was taken by surprise when the attached bird flew directly in front of me. I assume it to be an escapee and was confident of identifying it upon my return from holiday however my world bird encyclopedia and the internet have not given me the id hoped for.

I would therefore appreciate help in id'ing the bird - that would then allow me to consider how it may have got there!

Many thanks in advance.


Steve

Long-tailed Glossy Starling- for its presence on Tenerife, see for instance this trip report. Welcome to BirdForum!

jthoppes said:

Long-tailed Glossy Starling- for its presence on Tenerife, see for instance this trip report. Welcome to BirdForum!

Click to expand...

Many thanks for your superfast reply and kind welcome. Would appear that this could be an escapee but equally may have made it from Mauritania or similar.

However it got there it's certainly makes an interesting change from the Collared Doves and Blackbirds which are numerous in the area.

Back from Tenerife last week and 'the' Long-tailed Glossy Starling was present at Golf del Sur. Also took me by surprise as I hadn't seen the other trip reports of 'one' being around there.

It is an abundant West African species, natural arrival is not impossible. More a bird is abundant, more statistically it has chance to occur as a vagrant elsewhere...

Long-tailed Glossy Starling

Tomcarley said:

Back from Tenerife last week and 'the' Long-tailed Glossy Starling was present at Golf del Sur. Also took me by surprise as I hadn't seen the other trip reports of 'one' being around there.

Click to expand...

Hi Tom,

I was surprised to receive notification of your posting given that my sighting was five years ago! I've probably visited that location a dozen times since without any further sighting - I see that the species can have a life span in excess of 15 years so there is a possibility that it is the same bird.

I last visited this location in early July this year; I've always found this a reliable site for Barbary Partridge and saw good numbers this year. Other that that the main interest was Night and Grey Herons and Little and Cattle Egrets.

Did you have any particularly interesting sightings? Other than the Glossy Starling of course.

Best wishes,



Steve