Nearly ‘extinct’ Golden Oriole spotted in Cornwall
The bird-watching world has been set aflutter with the news that an “effectively extinct” bird has been sighted in Cornwall.
The single Golden Oriole was spotted in West Cornwall on Saturday with amateur ornithologists travelling to Gulval, near Penzance for a chance to photograph it.
The RSPB describes the bird as around the size of a blackbird, with males sporting a bright yellow body with black wings. Females have additional cream, white and green colouring.
The bird spotted on Saturday had a white chest with some dullish green feathers, suggesting it was female.
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.”
They are listed as a Schedule 1 species, meaning they are protected by law, while it is an offence to disturb the birds during their mating season without a valid licence.
The birds are sighted most often in April, May and June.
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.”
“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 bird was first recorded in the Middle Ages and has the Latin name “Oriolus oriolus”.
