L’Hypocolius gris, le mystérieux petit « Zorro » du Moyen-Orient

The 3rd of December 2010, a mega news was presented in several birding lists on the web : a male Grey Hypocolius (Hypocolius ampelinus) was found at Cape Greco in Cyprus. It was the most westerly record and first record for Europe.
This bird is one of the least known species of the Middle-East. It is the sole member of the genus Hypocolius and it is placed in a family Birding Barhrainof its own, the Hypocoliidae.
It is a slender and long tailed grey bird, with males having a black triangular mask around the eyes.
It breeds in dry semi-desert areas in troubled countries such as Iraq, Iran or Pakistan, so it is difficult to find.
The taxonomic relationships of the species are unclear, earlier authors having suggested that it was related to the bulbuls or shrikes, but it finally appears to be related to the waxwings.
It is very funny on its wintering grounds, being sociable, shy and incredibly punctual !
We propose you a presentation of this species and good and safe places to discover it. We thank Howard King, webmaster of the blog Birding Barhain for having allowed us to use some of his photos.