Well I'm pretty sure I'm not mad and haven't been drinking but am almost 100% positive I have just seen a Hartlaub's Tauraco in woodland in Leytonstone, East London. The bird's call was bizarre, almost like a cooing/gurgling baby and the bird itself was slightly larger than a wood pigeon, it's body was dark green and black with a crested head, long wide tail and in flight the underside of the wings was an amazingly vivid, scarlet red on the lower half of the wing. Incredible to see, I took a very blurred photo on my phone and a video where the bird can't really be seen but the call is audible.
After searching the internet, I believe this is the bird I saw, a native of Mozambique so have no idea what it was doing here!
http://i.pbase.com/o6/87/100387/1/17076726.LE9aF1z7.155_5591b.jpg
Well I finally got the photos and as you can see it's a White Cheeked Turcao. It's not been seen for a few days now, but I heard a very strange bird call a couple of mornings ago, sounded like a dove/pigeon but speeded up.
Enjoy
Brilliant photos Keefie. Definitely not a bird you expect to find on your garden fence but a beautiful one, nevertheless.
The necessity of bird-watching is a really good reason for avoiding all forms of housework.
The dust will still be there tomorrow - the birds may not be!
Fantastic!!
"All weeds are flowers, once you get to know them" (Eeyore)
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Hurrah, Keefie that's the bird!!! Super pics, much better than my attempts using my blackberry camera. The call is really strange, almost a weird baby monkey sound (not that I've heard one in real life). haven't seen it for over a week in Leytonstone now so it may have made itself at home in Woodford.
Thanks Keefie. The photographs were worth waiting for.
I love London. You never know what you'll see next. This is amazing and a beautiful bird.
Stating the obvious, it will be an escaped or released pet. They are naturally found in sub-tropical/tropical forests of Sudan and Ethiopia, at a height of about 2,200 to 3,200 metres. So, the big question is, will it survive our climate? Probably.
They love eating fruit, but also feast on berries (especially juniper), seeds, beetles, moths and caterpillars. This bird probably won't starve but will be very lonely. They like to live in groups of twenty or so.
I hope it's an escapee that gets re-united with its keeper.. meanwhile a lovely and unexpected (probably brief) addition to London's magnificent wildlife. Across town, starting on 20 November, we'll be showing off Bushy Park's deer. It's a free event, come along. You never know what else you'll see!
great pictures keefie
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The Hartlaub Tauraco is alive and well! I watched it for about half an hour in my garden this morning ( in Leytonstone, near the forest). Thanks to the helpful posts on this sight, I will now make sure I keep my birdtable stocked with fruit. It really is a most stunning bird. Great photos Keefie!
That's good to know! Thanks Willow!
Hey Willow and other forumites, we just saw the lovely bird in our garden this morning, my hubby finally saw it too. We must live near each other in Leytonstone Willow, we're in Bushwood. A beautiful sight to see on a gloomy Sunday morning and it wasn't even bothered by the very excitable dogs!
Thanks for that newsDesnob. Now I wish it had a companion to keep it company.
Just an afterthought, but did you notice any other birds' reactions to it, ie. aggression or ignoring it?
Hi, I have seen it with a magpie previously and there didn't seem to be any aggression, yesterday it was alone and appeared quite relaxed, flew from our garden to the neighbours apple tree and ignored the two barking dogs then flew off. Hope to see it again!
Has anybody seen the Turaco since mid December? Has it disappeared from Leytonstone?
Re what the bird is, looking at the great pictures, it looks to my untutored eye like a White Cheeked Turaco. If you haven't already found it, you might like to look at www.turacos.org which is for people in the who keep these birds. There is a UK number to report sightings and a guide to the different species. The white markings on the head look to me like the White Cheeked variety rather than Hartlaub's but I'm no expert.
Hi Neil, the last sighting I know of was in Leytonstone on 19 December but from chatting with people in the area it seems it's been around for some months! Some more pics attached taken by a friend around the corner, and you are right, it's definitely a white cheeked turaco. My husband contacted the website you mentioned in early December but as far as I know they haven't come back to him.