RESIDENTS of Harpenden should keep their eyes and ears open after various sightings of a strange and exotic-looking bird in the town.

The Hoopoe has pink and brown plumage with white markings and a mohican crest across the top of its head. It is so called because of its unmistakable hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo call.

During spring time the rare African bird migrates to Europe to breed, with one or two sometimes reaching southern England.

It seems the creature may have chosen Harpenden as home this spring. Harpenden resident John Davis, a member of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), said: "It's got through the cold period and now the weather has got milder it might just stay."