U is for Upupa

HOOPOE (UPUPA EPOPS)

From the moment anyone sets their eyes on a hoopoe* Upupa epops  in the UK, they know, they are  looking at something exotic. With their peachy body, zebra stripe wings, long down-curved beak  and huge headcrest, the hoopoe is unlike any other British bird.

Hoopoes are indeed from sunnier climes. Their usual range is the Meditteranean, Africa and the Middle East. Yet every year, around 100 hoopoes visit Britain. Unlike the swallow or the cuckoo they do not stay and revel in the delights of the British summer. So what are they doing here?

In spring, some hoopoes from Sub-Saharan Africa migrate to the northern Mediterranean.  Those which end up in Britain have overshot across the channel. Of course, most make land in southern England, but hoopoes have been found as far north as the Scottish Highlands and Orkney¹.  The first recorded hoopoe in the UK was in Greater London in 1666² (When the city was a lot greener). They are surprisingly hardy, with one recorded overwintering in Britain, feeding in leaf litter³. Hoopoes are known for enduring the cold, since they migrate across the Alps and even the Himalayas³.

Whilst most hoopoes arriving in Britain realise their mistake and return south, some do stay around for a while. There are around 30 records of attempted breeding in the past two centuries, though unfortunately none have been successful. Though some nests have fledged, the fledglings have been easy targets for predators³.

The hoopoe feeds mainly by probing the soil with its long beak searching for insect larvae. They prefer to settle in areas with plenty of bare ground or short turf where it is easier to feed. For this reason, they often stop off on manicured lawns such as golf courses, bowling greens and gardens. They particularly favour grazed areas, where there are also abundant beetle grubs and fly larvae associated with animal dung⁴.
They also snatch small animals from the surface, mainly grasshoppers and crickets as well as beetles, spiders, centipedes and occasionally small lizards and rodents. Hoopoes are one of few birds unphased by millipede toxins.

In flight, the hoopoes boldy- patterned, broad wings and unique fluttering technique have earned it the nickname ‘butterfly bird’.  This may give the impression that their flight is weak and haphazard but along with their migratory feats, hoopoes are highly agile in the air and excellent at evading avian predators such as falcons³.

But perhaps the hoopoes most distinctive feature is it’s crest. The long feathers are raised when excited or alert, spreading into a black-edged fan. Most of the time it is sheathed away as a spike jutting out of the back of its head, giving the bird a passing resemblance to the pterosaur pteranodon.

Given the hoopoes’ unique appearance, it seems odd that both its common and scientific names are onomatopoeic, referring to its call. The soft, but resonant “oop oop oop” is made by the hoopoe lowering its head and inflating its throat whilst calling, often from a perch.

Hoopoe calling from a perch. Video by Sanal Kumar

The hoopoe’s uniqueness is recognised in its taxonomy (Its relationship to other birds). It is the only species in the ‘Upupidae’ (though the Madagascan subspecies  U. epops marginata may be a separate species). Traditionally they are included in the Coraciiformes along with kingfishers, bee-eaters and hornbills, though some have argued for a separate order, the ‘Upupiformes’ which seperates the hoopoe along with wood-hoopoes and scimitar bills⁶.

Like other Coraciiformes, hoopoes are hole nesters, using trees, banks or buildings⁴. They cannot hammer their own hole, but the parents dig out loose matter and enlarge the cavity, as well as lining it with soft materials⁴. The single brood of around 7 young start off ugly and partly bald before fledging into grey, comically scruffy versions of the adults, with yellow lips or ‘gapes’  to direct their parents to their mouths.

With the warmer summers brought about by  future climate change, it is likely that Mediterranean birds, including the hoopoe will increasingly visit and breed in Britain⁷. Though changing weather patterns may cause problems for several species, I’m sure some birdwatchers will see the charismatic hoopoe as a little silver lining.

Finally, if you have seen a hoopoe, please report it to @Hoopoesuk on twitter https://twitter.com/Hoopoesuk.

*(Pronounced ‘hoo-poo’ or ‘ ho-po’)

References

1- R.A. Robinson and J.A.Clark. (2013) Summary of all Ringing Recoveries for Hoopoe (Upupa epops). Available from: http://blx1.bto.org/ring/countyrec/resultsall/rec8460all.htm

2- R.A. Robinson. (2005) BTO BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland: Hoopoe Upupa epops   [Linnaeus, 1758]. (BTO Research Report 407). BTO, Thetford. Available from: http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob8460.htm

3- Michael.J.Seago. (no date) Birds of Britain: Hoopoe. Available from: http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/hoopoe.asp

4- GRRLSCIENTIST. (2011) Mystery bird: Eurasian hoopoe, Upupa epops. Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/sep/27/2

5- RSPB and Birdlife International. (2007) Birds on the Move: Introducing A Climatic Atlas of European Breeding Birds.  Available from: http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/birdsonthemove_tcm9-180310.pdf