Animal of the Week - Hoopoe

Hoopoe
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Hoopoe
Conservation status
Least concern (LC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Coraciiformes
Family:
UpupidaeLeach, 1820
Genus:
Upupa
Species:
U. epops
Binomial name
Upupa epops
Linnaeus, 1758

The Hoopoe Upupa epops is in the same order of often colourful near passerine birds as the kingfishers, bee-eaters, and rollers.
However, in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, the Hoopoe is separated from the Coraciiformes as a separate order, the Upupiformes. It is the only extant member of its family, although what are now considered subspecies, such as the resident African form U. e. africana, were formerly sometimes given specific status.
Hoopoes are widespread in Europe, Asia and North Africa, as well as Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. They migrate from all but the southernmost part of their range to the tropics in winter.
Their habitat is open cultivated ground with short grass or bare patches. They spend much time on the ground hunting insects and worms. That particular diet may have been among the reasons the Hoopoe is included on the Old Testament's list of unclean birds (see Leviticus 11:19 and Deuteronomy 14:18).
The Hoopoe is 25-29cm long, with a 44-48cm wingspan. This black, white and pink bird is quite unmistakable, especially in its erratic flight, which is like that of a giant butterfly. The crest is erectile, but is mostly kept closed. It walks on the ground like a starling.
The song is a trisyllabic "oop-oop-oop", which gives rise to its English and scientific names.
The nest is in a hole in a tree or wall. Like those of its relatives the kingfishers, the nest tends to contain copious amounts of faeces and smell very foul as a protection against predators.
The long-extinct Giant Hoopoe U. antaios, lived on the island of St Helena.

Hoopoes in human culture
The Hoopoe featured in Greek mythology. Once a man, Tereus was transformed into the form of a Hoopoe. The character featured prominently in such works as Aristophanes' The Birds.
Muslims associate the Hoopoe with the Prophet Suleyman (King Solomon) and the Queen of Sheba's visit.
In classical Chinese poetry, the Hoopoe is depicted as a celestial messenger often bearing news of the spring. The Hoopoe is generally considered auspicious in China thanks to its unique beauty.
A hoopoe figures centrally in The Conference of the Birds, one of the central works of Sufi literature.
A fantastical mechanical Hoopoe with telepathic powers is featured in Salman Rushdie's book, Haroun and the Sea of Stories.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Upupa epops
BirdLife International (2004). Upupa epops. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
Hoopoe videos on the Internet Bird Collection
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoopoe"
Categories: Coraciiformes Birds of Kenya