In medieval Europe the Hoopoe (Upupa epops), was an evil omen, while today in Israel the Hoopoe is the national bird. Whether loved or hated, the Hoopoe is a fascinating and fascinating bird that holds a special place in human history. The Hoopoe, with its sun-like crest and distinctive plumage, has held an important place in human culture for millennia, and has been despised or praised in various cultures.
The Hoopoe is a widespread species that breeds in most of Eurasia south of the 53rd parallel, as well as much of Africa, with the exception of high mountains, harsh deserts and vast tropical forests. In fact, it will breed almost anywhere there are nest holes and soft (usually sandy), sparsely vegetated ground into which it can penetrate with its bill in search of prey. It will sometimes even nest in niches in rock faces and holes in termite mounds. Its winter habitat is similar except that it no longer requires nest holes, but frozen ground is more restrictive, of course. Therefore it is no wonder that the bird largely withdraws from Europe during the boreal winter. This is also true of the colder parts of Asia (about north of 35°N). Birds breeding in warmer climates tend not to migrate or to travel only short distances, largely due to the wet-dry cycles. Spring migrants tend to exceed the usual ranges of their breeding areas. In Britain, more than 50 birds are seen each spring, and several make it as far as Japan each year. Occasionally a Hoopoe will fly quite far. At least two sightings come from Australia and four from Alaska in North America.
The long, gracefully curved beak scans the ground for grasshoppers (crickets, locusts and their relatives) and beetles (both adults and larvae), while it also likes to feed on butterflies (adults, but mostly larvae and pupae). Mussels, lizards and snakes, frogs and toads and bird eggs are occasionally taken, with the vertebrates captured sometimes measuring up to 15 cm. In some places the Hoopoe is heavily dependent on one prey during the breeding season, for example the Mole Cricket (Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa) in Switzerland and the Pine Processionary Moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) in parts of southwest Europe. A narrow feeding niche makes this bird particularly sensitive to habitat changes.
The Hoopoe is a secondary cavity nester, which means that it does not dig its own hole but uses natural cavities, cracks in human burrows or holes made by other animals such as woodpeckers (Picidae). Occasionally, an intrepid Hoopoe will nest in really unusual places such as a rabbit hole, a rolled-up carpet or an abandoned car. I once pulled it out of a detergent bottle lying in an irrigated garden in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The plastic neck of the bottle was too narrow to get out of the container and the bird would not move backwards.
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