Facts About the Hoopoe

A Common and Interesting Bird of Europe, Asia, and Africa

Jun 19, 2008

The Hoopoe, Upupa epops, is familiar in southern Europe, southern Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. A figure of folklore, it's also known for its foul smelling nest.

A bird that perches and nests above ground, Upupa epops, spends much of its time on the ground foraging for the grubs and large hard insects that are its favored food. Small reptiles and snails, and insects that hide in the crevices of tree bark also fall prey to the long probing beak of the bird.

A year round resident in many parts of its range, the Hoopoe migrates to cooler regions during the breeding season. It is sometimes seen as far north as southern England.

Interesting Facts About the Hoopoe

The striking Hoopoe is colorful in more ways than one:

Both the common name and the scientific name mimic the birds’ rather dovelike call.
The Upupa epops nest, built in cavities in trees or stonework, pipes, tree forks, even termite mounds, smells terrible: breeding females and growing young smell like rotting meat, and all birds excrete foul smelling liquid from the preen gland. Hoopoes also routinely excrete wastes into the nest.
The foul smelling nest is said to deter predators; however, it probably also attracts insects, which are the birds’ main food source.
In flight, Upupa epops, moves with an irregular motion reminiscent of a butterfly.
Hoopoes sun themselves by squatting on the ground, tilting the head back and spreading the wings and tail. This was once thought to be a defensive position.
A Hoopoe defending itself will spray its foul smelling excretions at its opponent.
Despite its terrible smell, the bird thrives in human communities, explaining why it is so familiar to many people. It is the national bird of Israel.

Hoopoes in Myth and Legend:

Upupa epops appears in the folklore of many regions:

In the past some people believed that a stone from a Hoopoe (perhaps from its crop) will cause a man to confess his crimes when it is put on his chest while he’s asleep.
In Egyptian lore, young Hoopoes care for older birds by feeding them and keeping their wings trimmed during molting, making the species a symbol of gratitude.
Arabs believed that the bird had healing properties and were known to collect the head to make charms.
In a Greek folktale a bird blocked from reaching its nest in a rock wall used a magical plant, the “poa,” to remove fresh plaster.
In the stories of the biblical King Solomon, the Hoopoe tells the king stories; in some accounts it tells King Solomon of the Queen of Sheba and carries messages to her from him.

Sources:

Atlas of Bird Migration. Elphick, Jonathan ed. Buffalo: Firefly Books, 2007.

Birds in Legend Fable and Folklore. Ingersoll, Ernest. New York: Longmans, Green and Co.; 1923

Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds. Perrins, Christopher ed. Buffalo: Firefly Books, 2003

“Hoopoe.” Avibirds: Online Bird Guide to Europe.

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