‘It was a sight to behold’: Rare sighting of Eurasian hoopoe in Tanjong Katong excites birdwatchers

SINGAPORE – A bird that has not been spotted in Singapore in almost 40 years has been seen in Tanjong Katong, creating a buzz among birdwatchers here.

Among them is Mr Andy Chew, who spent two hours on the morning of Jan 19 zipping around Tanjong Katong on his bicycle in search of the Eurasian hoopoe, whose only previous recorded sighting here was in October 1987.

The 54-year-old wildlife photographer was near the Katong Gurdwara Sikh temple in Wilkinson Road at 10am when he saw something flying into a tree.

After scanning the tree for a few seconds, he was rewarded with the sight of the Eurasian hoopoe’s long, downcurved bill, zebra-striped wing patterns and a tall crest.

Spotting the Eurasian hoopoe was momentous for Mr Chew, who has been doing avian photography for more than 10 years and had heard about the bird’s visit here via a chat group.

“It was a sight to behold as the hoopoe is such a beautiful bird. I have never heard of a hoopoe being sighted in Singapore before, except those in Mandai Bird Paradise,” he said.

“It is definitely an uncommon encounter.”

Another birdwatcher, Mr Fabius Tan Pin-Qin, heard the news on Jan 17. He decided to go to Tanjong Katong at 8.45am the next day, excited to see the bird.

Recalling the stir the Eurasian hoopoe caused in the birding community, the 25-year-old undergraduate said: “There were already birders on site tracking and locating the bird. It was pretty exhilarating, knowing that this could be the first for Singapore.

“While I have seen it in China, nothing beats seeing one in your homeland.”

Banking executive Rakesh Kumar Sharma, 49, and his wife, Aashima, 45, who live at 9 Branksome Road, said they saw wildlife photographers gathered excitedly outside their home on the morning of Jan 18.

“I did not know the Eurasian hoopoe was such a rare bird. My daughter was leaving the house for work and learnt about the bird from the photographers,” said Mr Sharma.

He said he and his wife, a homemaker, invited the photographers into the family’s compound for a closer look at the creature.

The bird remained near their house, which is just a four-minute walk from the Sikh temple in Wilkinson Road, over the next two days.

On Jan 19, the family spotted the animal again, this time on a mango tree in their compound.

The Eurasian hoopoe is found across most of Europe, Asia and Africa, according to Birds Of The World’s database.

It is known for its distinctive orange, black and white feathers and its undulating flight, which resembles that of “a giant butterfly”.

When contacted, Mr Richard White, chairman of the Bird Society of Singapore’s records committee, called the Eurasian hoopoe’s appearance here “an exceptional sighting”.

He added that it is “not completely unexpected” that the bird would be spotted in Singapore, given that it is regularly spotted in Thailand, with records of its sightings also logged in Peninsula Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia.

“The timing of this sighting matches (with the time) when migratory species are turning up in the region to escape the boreal winter,” Mr White said.

He added that the bird that was spotted in Tanjong Katong could have been released, or had escaped, as the species is found in the caged-bird trade.

“Whatever the origin of this bird, it’s a very attractive and striking species, so many people have enjoyed the chance to see it locally,” he said.

Dr Yong Ding Li, head of flyways and species conservation at BirdLife International in Asia, said the Eurasian hoopoe, which typically migrates long distances, was likely to show up in Singapore eventually.

“Migratory birds don’t see boundaries of countries,” he said. “It was only a matter of time that a hoopoe would show up in Singapore.”

This is because birds that migrate long distances may fly off course by several hundred kilometres due to weather conditions or disorientations, he said.

He added that it is more likely that the hoopoe overshot its migration or is a straggler instead of being a caged-bird escapee.

“The hoopoe is rare in the context of Singapore, but it is common in other parts of Asia,” he said.