Busy on the wings on and off.
In the meantime here are some more interesting snippets on this bird.......
- There are nine subspecies of Hoopoe – and one was actually named (“Upupa eremite epos “) in 1758 by Linneaus himself. “Upupa” while Latin, in os also onomatopoeia (a word that represents a sound) for its “oop oop” call.
- The distinctive “oop, oop” is actually the male mating call given in Spring – to defend territory and to attract females.
- Its flight is interesting, as it nearly closes it wings in each beat as it flies – this causes an undulating flight pattern.
- It often will take quite large prey – it then beats them on a stone to break them up into smaller eatable chunks.
- Hoopoes love the sun and often sunbathe by lying in the ground with their wings spread out
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