Thanks Mike and others who replied.
I've just written a short article on this Hoopoe, so I was curious that the new
photo showed a bird that lacked white in the crest. The more I look it seems
obvious that there's a broad pale subterminal crest band - as you've just
indicated. I was simply noticing the lack of pure white, rather than the lack
of band at all.
This bird also now seems rather dull (in terms of colour!) compared to my first
views, lacking the vibrancy and darker colours reported in U. e. africana.
Perhaps a saturation issue between different computers, saturating saturata, so
to speak, but far more likely just my mind playing tricks. There was a
suggestion that it might be either U.e.epops or U.e.saturata, so interested to
know what BARC comes up with.
Cheers,
Tim
________________________________________
From: Mike Carter
Sent: Monday, March 03, 2014 12:29 PM
To: Tim Dolby; birding-aus
Subject: NT Hoopoe - U. e. Africana?
I see no reason to consider that it's other than the far eastern race of
Eurasian Hoopoe U. e. saturata. The African bird has no subterminal crest
band at all or one that is much reduced in its extent, whereas the NT bird
possesses a broad and obvious pale subterminal crest band albeit not pure
white. But then the white transverse bands across the back and wings are not
as they should be, pure white either, also being tainted with a paler
version of the pinkish-buff that dominates the rest of the plumage.
Mike Carter
30 Canadian Bay Road
Mount Eliza VIC 3930
Tel (03) 9787 7136
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