Meenakshi Mallik
Common Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
This photograph was taken at Shadnagar, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
The Hoopoe (Upupa epops) is a colourful bird that is found across Afro-Eurasia, notable for its distinctive 'crown' of feathers. It is the only extant species in the family Upupidae.
The Hoopoe is a medium sized bird, 25–32 cm (9.8-12.6 in) long, with a 44–48 cm (17.3–19 in) wingspan weighing 46-89 g (1.6-3.1 oz). The species is highly distinctive, with a long, thin tapering bill that is black with a fawn base. The strengthened musculature of the head allows the bill to be opened when probing inside the soil. The hoopoe has broad and rounded wings capable of strong flight; these are larger in the northern migratory subspecies. The Hoopoe has a characteristic undulating flight, which is like that of a giant butterfly, caused by the wings half closing at the end of each beat or short sequence of beats.
Hoopoe is fawn colored, with black and white zebra markings on back, wings and tail. It has fan shaped crest, long, slender, gently curved bill. They move around singly or in pairs, usually on the ground.
The song is a trisyllabic "oop-oop-oop", which gives rise to its English and scientific names.
Common Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
This photograph was taken at Shadnagar, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
The Hoopoe (Upupa epops) is a colourful bird that is found across Afro-Eurasia, notable for its distinctive 'crown' of feathers. It is the only extant species in the family Upupidae.
The Hoopoe is a medium sized bird, 25–32 cm (9.8-12.6 in) long, with a 44–48 cm (17.3–19 in) wingspan weighing 46-89 g (1.6-3.1 oz). The species is highly distinctive, with a long, thin tapering bill that is black with a fawn base. The strengthened musculature of the head allows the bill to be opened when probing inside the soil. The hoopoe has broad and rounded wings capable of strong flight; these are larger in the northern migratory subspecies. The Hoopoe has a characteristic undulating flight, which is like that of a giant butterfly, caused by the wings half closing at the end of each beat or short sequence of beats.
Hoopoe is fawn colored, with black and white zebra markings on back, wings and tail. It has fan shaped crest, long, slender, gently curved bill. They move around singly or in pairs, usually on the ground.
The song is a trisyllabic "oop-oop-oop", which gives rise to its English and scientific names.