Hoopoe

Hoopoe, common name for a large, colorful bird with a distinctive fan-shaped head crest. Hoopoes live in open and semiopen habitats, such as woodlands and dry savannas in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Madagascar. They occasionally nest in England.

The hoopoe measures about 31 cm (about 12 in) in length and varies in color from cinnamon to chestnut, with boldly barred black-and-white wings and tail. It has broad, round wings; a long, slender, curved bill; short legs; and a short, square tail. Its tall, black-tipped head crest opens into a fan when it is excited. Named for its resounding hoo-hoo-hoo call, the hoopoe puffs out its neck feathers when calling. When alarmed, it makes a quiet chattering sound and flashes its head crest.

The hoopoe forages chiefly on open ground, using its long bill to probe for insects in the soil. It eats small insects, particularly their soft larvae, and worms and other small animals, including lizards. The hoopoe feeds alone or in pairs during the breeding season of spring and summer. At other times of the year it feeds in small groups of other hoopoes.

During courtship, the male chases the female, brings her food, and shows her possible nest sites. Hoopoes commonly nest in unlined holes in old trees but may also use holes in dirt banks or crevices in boulders and old buildings. The female lays four to eight pale blue or whitish eggs. She incubates, or warms, them by sitting on them for 12 to 15 days until they hatch. The male feeds the female while she is caring for the eggs and for the first week after the young have hatched. Both the female and the young can deter predators by spraying a foul-smelling blackish liquid from a special oil gland at the base of their tails. The chicks are ready to leave the nest, or fledge, 26 to 32 days after hatching but remain with their parents for several weeks thereafter. Hoopoes typically raise two batches, or broods, of young each year.

Scientific classification: The hoopoe makes up the family Upupidae, in the order Coraciiformes, and is classified as Upupa epops.

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