Mystery Passerine at Flamborough Head. (1 Viewer)

Brett Richards · Feb 2, 2014

The bird described below was present at Flamborough Head on 19 September 1998. Thought at first possibly to be a Sunbird because of the decurved bill, it didn't seem to fit anything. This was before most people had cameras, so it wasn't photographed. At the time I asked a friend to put my description on UK Birdnet (I didn't have a computer then), but received no useful replies. Possibly some sort of South American earth-creeper, but again didn't seem to fit. Obviously an escapee, but I would like to know the ID. Hope someone can help.

Seen several times perched on a post and in flight.

Size of Meadow Pipit or larger. Slim, with longish tail, which seemed fairly straight-ended (i.e. not graduated), but rounded at corners.

Blackish bill about head length, fairly deep-based and noticeably decurved, especially towards tip. Legs and feet blackish.

Upperparts (including head down to lower edge of ear-coverts) brown-grey, paler and a little sandy on rump and uppertaill-coverts. Wings a little darker than mantle and back. Tail similarly a little darker, and also browner, with pale outer edges and tip, the pale edges also noticeable in flight. Underparts whitish.

Flight undulating. Call, repeated throughout flight, a soft “chip chip” or “yip yip”, like a soft, but slightly explosive juvenile Linnet.

Brett

Jane Turner · Feb 3, 2014

Sounds like a brilliant bird.

How about a scimitar-babbler (though I think they are probably all more strongly toned brown than you are describing)

If nothing else I'll bump the thread up!

How far off the mark is this shape wise

http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/brown-honeyeater-lichmera-indistincta/brown-honeyeater-palm-leaf

Jamie Dunning · Feb 3, 2014

Hoopoe Lark was my firth thought ?

PYRTLE · Feb 3, 2014

Wasn't there a sunbird species seen in North Norfolk that year? I'll have a look at some old bird reports though I doubt it would have survived and found it's way up North.

John Cantelo · Feb 3, 2014

My thoughts were first some sort of thrasher and then an Australian honeyeater, but I find it hard to visualise the bird at all with such relatively simple features (no bands, bars and spots to help!) and in the absence of a field sketch.

Mark Harper · Feb 3, 2014

Humes Groundpecker was one of my first thoughts.

lewis20126 · Feb 3, 2014

Koslov's Babax?

As likely as Eastern Towheee in respect of unassisted vagrancy potential.

cheers, a

Jamie Dunning · Feb 3, 2014

Stella's sea eagle?

This is pretty pointless without any further information or insight...

Brett Richards · Feb 3, 2014

Jane Turner said:
Sounds like a brilliant bird.

How far off the mark is this shape wise

http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/brown-honeyeater-lichmera-indistincta/brown-honeyeater-palm-leaf

It was a little longer-billed than Brown Honyeater, and I think also a little longer-tailed.

Brett

Brett Richards · Feb 3, 2014

Jamie Dunning said:
Stella's sea eagle?

This is pretty pointless without any further information or insight...

There is what I thought would be adequate information in my description if you bother to read it properly. All the suggestions so far can be eliminated, but keep them coming. Someone must have seen one somewhere.

Brett

lewis20126 · Feb 3, 2014

Juvenile Curve-billed Thrasher?
Canyon Wren?

cheers, a

dantheman · Feb 3, 2014

Judging a bird and accurately identifying it from a brief description is a nightmare in any circumstance usually, so kudos to those coming up with half decent suggestions, even if they can be still be eliminated from the equation fairly easily!

(Someone may hit the jackpot).

Presumably a leucistic commoner bird with a deformed bill can also be eliminated?!

Zheljko · Feb 3, 2014

How did it behave? Did it land on ground or on tree branches? Did it try to feed? Some of the offered birds are ground birds while others are canopy birds.

lewis20126 · Feb 3, 2014

Flicking through Ridgley and Tudor 2009, how about:

Thrush-like Wren (unspotted forms) - probably not sat on a post though!
Great Rufous Woodcreeper (too large?) - more likely on the side of the post
Earthcreepers - perhaps Plain-breasted the best fit
Slender-billed Miner - never seen one on a post but can imagine it

cheers, alan

Larry Sweetland · Feb 4, 2014

this is a real head-scratcher :smoke: I'd have thought the long tail would rule out the miners (leaving earthcreepers the best bet among furnariids) and eg the groundpecker, the description of the call and undulating flight rule out the wrens, the whitish underparts rule out most things (were they seen clearly enough to tell they were unmarked Brett?), and the (small) size rule out many of the suggestions, and most babbler and thrasher options. Was it seen moving on the ground/low vegetation, and if so how? That could be a great help.

I guess a few honeyeaters might match the description?? Deep bill base (and large size for nearly all )would presumably rule out the sunbirds. totally stumped :smoke: :smoke:

Jane Turner · Feb 4, 2014

I noticed this the other day....

http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=482260&d=1391388822

currently thought to be a deformed bill on a common US bird, however much it looks like a micro-hornbill.

redeyedvideo · Feb 4, 2014

I've been doing a bit of head scratching too, nearest I can get is Olive Sunbird though I feel it's most likely to be of an eastern origin. Perhaps an immature or female of a more brightly coloured bird? Stumped.

Brett Richards · Feb 6, 2014

Zheljko said:
How did it behave? Did it land on ground or on tree branches? Did it try to feed? Some of the offered birds are ground birds while others are canopy birds.

It flew from the post onto a field, a stubble field if I remember correctly. It appeared ti be a ground feeder.

Brett Richards · Feb 6, 2014

lewis20126 said:
Flicking through Ridgley and Tudor 2009, how about:

Thrush-like Wren (unspotted forms) - probably not sat on a post though!
Great Rufous Woodcreeper (too large?) - more likely on the side of the post
Earthcreepers - perhaps Plain-breasted the best fit
Slender-billed Miner - never seen one on a post but can imagine it

cheers, alan

Plain-breasted Earthcreeper was the best I could come up with Alan, but it isn't quite right. My bird didn't have a supercilium, had plain whitish underparts and pale edges & tip to the tail. I looked at Earthcreepers at the time, but could dismiss them all. Like Dave J, I am stumped. I hoped someone could un-stump me, but I guess not.

Cheers

Brett

AlfArbuthnot · Feb 7, 2014

Have you looked through all the bulbuls? Quite common cagebirds at the time, behaviour sounds about right, and quite a few plumages of various species are mostly plain brown with longish pale-tipped tail. The bill can also be/look variously decurved. There's a large number of species, plumages, possibilities...

Mystery Passerine at Flamborough Head. (1 Viewer)

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