Hoopoe

The fairy-tale bird with a crown

The hoopoe has feathers on its head like a crown — when excited it fans them open! It sings 'oop-oop-oop', which is why its Latin name is 'Upupa'. With its long curved beak it digs worms out of the ground. In Uzbekistan it is common in gardens and fields from spring to autumn. In old tales it is King Solomon's wise bird — the hudhud.

The hoopoe (Upupa epops) ranges across Europe, Asia and Africa; in Uzbekistan it is a common breeding migrant (wintering in India and Africa). 28 cm long, with black-and-white striped wings and a 'crown'. It pulls insect larvae, locusts and beetles from the soil — useful against garden pests. It nests in holes; chicks and the female defend themselves with a foul-smelling liquid — hence the Uzbek name 'stinky hoopoe'. It is Israel's national bird and appears in the Quran and in Attar's 'Conference of the Birds' as the wise bird.

Fun facts

• The hoopoe's name comes from its song, 'oop-oop'.
• Hoopoe chicks squirt a smelly liquid at enemies — hence its Uzbek name!
• The hudhud is the wise bird that led all the birds in 'The Conference of the Birds'.