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15

Hoopoe (Upupa epops) Alternate name(s): "Eurasian Hoopoe" Size: 25-32 cm; wing span: 44-48 cm Weight: 45-90 g

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Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Hoopoes are about Magpie-lark-sized birds with an impressive erectile crest. The front, sides of the head and nape are pale pinkish-brown, while the frons and crest are light-brown. The crest feathers have black tips. The back is more greyish than the front. The wings have a very prominent black and wide bar pattern. Also the undertail is black and white barred, while the uppertail is black with a white base and white sides. The eyes have dark irises. The long, slim, slightly downcurved bill, is grey, with a lighter-grey base. The legs and feet are also grey.

Taxonomy, classification See Hoopoe at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Hoopoe is available HERE . Hoopoes are a global species, of which there are in total 9 races. Their distribution ranges from parts of Africa (except the Sahara desert and some parts of sub-Saharan West Africa) and Madagascar to parts of Europe (not the British Isles, Scandinavia, the Benelux countries and most of Germany), Asia Minor, parts of the Middle East, mostly coastal parts of Arabia and all across the southern parts of Asia (except only parts of western China and central Pakistan), as far as eastern China and Russia. Towards the South, they are found all across India and Sri Lanka, as well as south-eastern Asia, down to southern Thailand (but normally not Malaysia). There are only rare reports of vagrants going as far as northern tropical Australia. The South African race is resident, while the others are migratory. Northern mid-latitude regions are their breeding grounds, while in subtropical areas they are permanent residents. In some areas (e.g. western India, near-coastal eastern Africa) they are found only during the northern winter. Usually, there are no Hoopoes in Australia. However, Hoopoes [race "longirostris"] are very rarely reported as vagrants along the tropical North coast. Hoopoes can live in a variety of habitats, which must include two features: bare soil for foraging and vertical surfaces (trees or cliffs) for nesting.

Sightings Click here for sighting information We have not seen an Hoopoe in Australia yet, but a single bird was reportedly seen (and photographed) at Galiwinku on Elcho Island, NT, in February 2014, right after the passage of a tropical cyclone. We have previously seen Hoopoes, nominate race "epops", in Oman.

Photos

Not photographed by us in Australia yet, but nominate race "epops" has previously been photographed in Oman.

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

hoopoe_dw_20180525_2.m4a	epops (Poland)	Territorial call (male)	© DW
hoopoe_jp_20190606.m4a	epops (Portugal)	Territorial calls (male)	© JP
hoopoe_jp_20230203.mp3	epops (Portugal)	Territorial calls (male)	© JP
hoopoe_dw_20180525.m4a	epops (Poland)	Territorial calls (male) (+ House Sparrow)	© DW
hoopoe_dw_20180525_NR.m4a	epops (Poland)	Territorial calls (male), no bkgd	© DW
hoopoe_jp_20200322.m4a	epops (Portugal)	Territorial calls (male) (+ Short-toed Treecreeper)	© JP
hoopoe_jp_20200412.m4a	epops (Portugal)	Territorial calls (male) (+ Common Chaffinch)	© JP

More Hoopoe sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Thu, 25 May 2023, 18:57 +00:00