Mystery bird spotted in Turkey (mystery to me!)

[scampchen]

When in Turkey last year I spotted a bird in one of the birdhouses which intrigued me as it was rather kooky to look at. I can't describe it that well alas, but suffice to say it was black, had a shock of dark feathered plumage on the top of its head and facially resembled a mini-ostrich - the expressions on its face weren't unlike an ostrich either. An absolutely cracking bird to watch. If anyone can point me in the right direction I'd be very grateful - at least then I could Google it to find out more about it! Thanks in advance for any pointers.

[pastafreak]

Is it one of these?? : http://casarosa.net/Hoopoe.htm

[Cetti]

There are two large birds that come to mind ,scampchen.

One is the Cassowary, a sort of dark version of an Ostrich/Emu. The other is the Crested Caracara. This bird has to be seen to be believed, especially when making any sounds as it throws its head over its head with crest erect and makes the weirdest cry imaginable. Both these birds are Ostrichy in miniature.

[Cetti]

Ah, I thought you meant bird houses as in zoo!

Sounds like pastafreak has it.

[pastafreak]

Ha!-I thought the same as you,cetti......but scamp doesnt say how large his feathered friend was......I thought of the hoopoe straight away...but it is not black.

[scampchen]

Thanks pastafreak but alas it wasn't a hoopoe - they're rather nice looking creatures though. I should have mentioned that the feathered friend in question was about the size of the average hen/chicken and as for the plumage, rather a lot atop its little head. The bird was black all over. I'll have a quick search for the other names while this submits folks...

[scampchen]

Me again. It wasn't the other two suggestions either. I wish I could describe the little critter better!

[beejay1124]

could it maybe be a polish crested bantam (called banties in Norn Iron ) I have kept poultry in the past & had this breed - mine were black with a white 'pom-pom ' like head feathering

[Cetti]

I think we are all a bit confused scampchen.

Even though we would love to help it's difficult unless we know whether this is a wild bird or a captive one - and size comparison would be good.

[Myriad2112]

I've seen a couple of large birds outside my window, I think they originate from the local council estate.

[scampchen]

Cetti I'm getting more confused by the minute! Anyway it's about the size of a hen/chicken and I will assume it was a captive bird as it was in a cage with a run. Mind you putting it in a cage doesn't guarantee if it was meant to be kept as a pet or not...

[scampchen]

Beejay, we're getting closer with regard to the head feathering, but instead of it being in a pompom shape it was a full top-of-the-head covering of black feathers - almost as if it had tried to go for the afro look but made do with feathers instead of dreadlocks! I probably sound like a right dodderer now; although all further suggestions will keep me ticking over nicely...

[beejay1124]

scamp -i think i may be right-bantams are sometimes kept in cages/runs either for their own safety or for breeding reasons(to prevent cross-breeding).As well as pets bantam eggs are tasty (slightly smaller in size than hen eggs).Try googling breeds of bantam (polish ,poland or polish crested -different areas call them different names)

[scampchen]

There's been another twist in the search folks. One of my mates suggested that it was a type of cockatoo. However I suspect there's rather a lot of variations there, so I'll see what happens. Anyone else who comes up with anything, jump onto the thread please!

[beejay1124]

scamp i still think it is a bantam-i dont know of black cockatoos (also their head feathering doesn't match your description) google breeds of bantam ---poland It is in there

[scampchen]

beejay thanks for putting me out of my misery - it looks like it was my first ever sighting of a male Poland! Probably my last as well. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
Thanks as well to everyone else who helped on the quest!

[beejay1124]

problem solved then Scamp