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Henry Sowell

Vol. I · Est. 2026

Pl. LXXIV
Field-journal plate: Common Hoopoe
The Common Hoopoe plate as rendered on the e-ink frame
As rendered on the frame

The Birds · Plate LXXIV

Common Hoopoe

Upupa epops

Upupidae · Taxon 20969

Length25–32 cm
Wingspan44–48 cm
Weight46–89 g

Field marks

  1. Warm cinnamon-buff head, neck, and breast
  2. Tall erectile cinnamon crest with black tips
  3. Very long, slender, downcurved dark bill
  4. Broad, rounded wings boldly barred black and white
  5. Black tail crossed by a broad white band
  6. Dark eye and short gray-brown legs

HabitatSemiopen country with bare or lightly vegetated ground for feeding and nearby cavities for nesting, including grassland, heath, farmland, orchards, savanna, wooded steppe, lawns, and forest clearings.

BehaviorUsually forages alone on the ground, walking over open patches and probing soil with its long bill for insects and larvae. Flight is fast and undulating with deep wingbeats; the crest is often raised after landing. Nests in cavities.

Palette

cinnamon orangewarm buffblackwhiteslate gray