The hoopoe (Upupa epops) is another migratory bird I want to tell you about, and it is hard to confuse with any other species: a fan-shaped crest, a long curved bill and wings striped in black and white. It arrives in Italy in spring from Africa and, even if you cannot see it, it often gives itself away with its call.
How to recognise the hoopoe
It is about 25-32 cm long, has a wingspan of 44-48 cm and weighs between 46 and 89 grams. The head and breast are orange-pink, while the wings and tail are black with white stripes. The bill is long, thin and curved downwards.
Its most famous feature is the erectile crest, orange with black tips, which it usually keeps lowered and opens when excited or alarmed. Male and female look very alike, although the female can appear slightly duller.
Its flight is very undulating, like that of a large butterfly, and thanks to the stripes on its wings it is not hard to spot from a distance.
What the hoopoe’s call sounds like
In the breeding season the male attracts the female with a call that carries a long way: a series of three identical notes repeated at intervals, like “hoop-hoop-hoop… hoop-hoop-hoop”. Its name also comes from this sound, which it imitates.
When it arrives in Italy and where it lives
Hoopoes begin to arrive between March and April and leave around September, after nesting. European birds winter mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. Studies with tiny geolocators show that some tend to repeat the same migration directions and autumn departure times.
You can find it in the countryside, in vineyards, orchards, meadows and areas with scattered trees, and it is not hard to see it on lawns near houses, where it searches for insects. The Italian population is estimated at between 20,000 and 50,000 pairs, with a slight decline in recent decades. It is also the symbol of LIPU, the Italian bird protection league.
What the hoopoe eats
It feeds mainly on insects and their larvae, such as mole crickets, crickets, beetles and ants, and sometimes also on small reptiles and frogs. It walks over open ground and stops to probe it with its full bill, which it can open even when it is pushed into the soil. It is one of the few species able to eat processionary caterpillars, which makes it very useful to farming and woodland.
The nest and the curious defence of the young
It looks for food alone and lives in a pair only during the breeding season. It nests in tree hollows, often less than 3 metres off the ground, in crevices in walls and rocks, in abandoned buildings and also in nest boxes. In Italy the female lays up to about 7 eggs and incubates them for 15-18 days, while the male brings her food. The young leave the nest after about 26-29 days.
Its defence of the nest is its most curious feature. During incubation, the uropygial gland of the female and those of the young produce a foul-smelling liquid that is smeared on the feathers. This is useful protection, because the nest is often close to the ground: in a study near Rome, camera traps recorded 17 predation attempts on 4 nests, mainly by western whip snakes and black rats.
Why was the hoopoe seen as a bird of ill omen?
In the past it was considered a bird “of ill omen” because of its behaviour and call, and in Foscolo’s poem Dei Sepolcri it appears in a cemetery at night. Today it is highly appreciated, especially by farmers, because it eats many harmful insects.
So sharpen your ears and, if you recognise its call, keep your eyes open and try to spot it: it is a beautiful animal! You can find other migrants in the article on bee-eaters and in mybird gallery.
