View source for Hoopoe

{{Short description|Monotypic family of birds}}
{{For|the surname|Hüppe}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Hoopoe
| image = Upupa epops Madrid 01.jpg
| image_caption = [[Eurasian hoopoe]] <br> [[Madrid]], [[Spain]]
| image2 = Upupa epops.ogg
| parent_authority = [[William Elford Leach|Leach]], 1819<ref>{{ cite book | last=Leach | first=William Elford | author-link=William Elford Leach | year=1819 | chapter=Eleventh Room | title=Synopsis of the Contents of the British Museum | location=London | publisher=British Museum | edition=15th | pages=63–68 [65] | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YSlhAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA67 }} Although the name of the author is not specified in the document, Leach was the Keeper of Zoology at the time.</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Bock | first=Walter J. | author-link=Walter Joseph Bock | year=1994 | title=History and Nomenclature of Avian Family-Group Names | series=Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History | volume= 222 | publisher=American Museum of Natural History | location=New York | pages=146, 245 | hdl=2246/830 | url=http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/830 }}<!--Linked page allows download of the 48MB pdf--><!-- Bock cites the 17th edition from 1820 but the name was included in the 15th edition published in 1819--></ref>
| display_parents = 2
| taxon = Upupa
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
| type_species = ''Upupa epops '' ([[Eurasian hoopoe]])
| type_species_authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = *†''[[Upupa antaios]]''
* ''[[Upupa epops]]''
* ''[[Upupa marginata]]''
}}
'''Hoopoes''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|uː|p|uː|,_|ˈ|h|uː|p|oʊ}}) are colourful [[bird]]s found across [[Africa]], [[Asia]], and [[Europe]], notable for their distinctive "[[Crest (feathers)|crown]]" of feathers which can be raised or lowered at will. Two living and one extinct species are recognized, though for many years both extant species were lumped as a single species—''Upupa epops''. In fact, some taxonomists still consider the species to be [[Biological_specificity#Conspecific|conspecific]]. Some authorities also keep the African and Eurasian hoopoe together but split the Madagascar hoopoe. The Eurasian hoopoe is common in its range and has a large population, so it is evaluated as [[Least Concern]] on the [[IUCN Red List]] of Threatened Species. However, their numbers are declining in Western Europe.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2022-02-14|title=Hoopoe Bird (Upupa epops) - Fun Facts with Pictures - Birds Fact|url=https://birdsfact.com/hoopoe-bird/|access-date=2022-02-16|language=en-US}}</ref> Conversely, the hoopoe has been increasing in numbers at the tip of the South Sinai, [[Sharm el-Sheikh]]. There are dozens of nesting pairs that remain resident all year round.

==Taxonomy==
The [[genus]] ''Upupa'' was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist [[Carl Linnaeus]] in the [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|tenth edition]] of his ''[[Systema Naturae]]''.<ref name="Linnaeus 1758">{{cite book |last=Linnaeus |first=Carl |author-link=Carl Linnaeus |year=1758 |title=Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis |volume=1 |edition=10th |page=xxx |publisher=Laurentii Salvii |location={{lang|la|Holmiae}} ([[Stockholm]]) |language=Latin |url=http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886 }}</ref> The [[type species]] is the [[Eurasian hoopoe]] (''Upupa epops'').<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Peters |editor-first=James Lee |editor-link=James L. Peters |year=1945 |title=Check-List of Birds of the World |volume=5 |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |place=[[Cambridge, Massachusetts]] |page=247 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14480258 }}</ref> {{lang|la|Upupa}} and {{lang|grc|ἔποψ}} ({{lang|grc-Latn|epops}}) are respectively the [[Latin]] and [[Ancient Greek]] names for the hoopoe; both, like the English name, are [[onomatopoetic|onomatopoeic]] forms which imitate the cry of the bird.<ref name=job>{{cite book |last1=Jobling |first1=James A. |year=2010 |title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names |publisher=[[A & C Black]] |first2=Christopher |last2=Helm |location=London |isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 |pages=147, 396 }}</ref><ref name=OEDnight>{{Cite OED |Hoopoe}}</ref>

The hoopoe was classified in the [[clade]] [[Coraciiformes]], which also includes [[kingfisher]]s, [[bee-eater]]s, and [[Coraciidae|roller]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hackett |first=Shannon J.|year=2008 |title=A Phylogenomic Study of Birds Reveals Their Evolutionary History |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |pmid=18583609 |volume=320 |issue=1763 |pages=1763–1768 |doi=10.1126/science.1157704 |bibcode=2008Sci...320.1763H |s2cid=6472805 |display-authors=etal }}</ref> A close relationship between the hoopoe and the [[wood hoopoe]]s is also supported by the shared and unique nature of their [[stapes]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Feduccia |first=Alan |year=1975 |title=The Bony Stapes in the Upupidae and Phoeniculidae: Evidence for Common Ancestry |journal=The Wilson Bulletin |volume=87 |issue=3 |pages=416–417 |url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/wilson/v087n03/p0416-p0417.pdf }}</ref> In the [[Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy]], the hoopoe is separated from the [[Coraciiformes]] as a separate order, the [[Upupiformes]]. Some authorities place the wood hoopoes in the Upupiformes as well.<ref name="Mayr">{{cite journal |last=Mayr |first=Gerald |year=2000 |title=Tiny Hoopoe-like birds from the Middle Eocene of Messel (Germany) |journal=[[Auk (journal)|Auk]] |volume=117 |issue=4 |pages=964–970 |doi=10.1642/0004-8038(2000)117[0964:THLBFT]2.0.CO;2 |url=http://sora.unm.edu/node/26294 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Now the consensus is that both hoopoe and the wood hoopoes belong with the hornbills in the [[Bucerotiformes]].<ref name=ioc>{{cite web |editor1-last=Gill |editor1-first=Frank |editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) |editor2-last=Donsker |editor2-first=David |editor3-last=Rasmussen |editor3-first=Pamela |editor3-link=Pamela C. Rasmussen |date=February 2025 |title=Mousebirds, Cuckoo Roller, trogons, hoopoes, hornbills |work=[[IOC World Bird List]] Version 15.1 |url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/mousebirds/ |publisher=[[International Ornithologists' Union]] |access-date=8 March 2025 }}</ref>

The [[fossil]] record of the hoopoes is very incomplete, with the earliest fossil coming from the [[Quaternary]].<ref name="St Helena"/> The fossil record of their relatives is older, with fossil [[wood hoopoe]]s dating back to the [[Miocene]] and those of an extinct related family, the [[Messelirrisor]]idae, dating from the [[Eocene]].<ref name="Mayr"/>

===Species===
Formerly considered a single species, the hoopoe has been split into two separate species: the [[Eurasian hoopoe]] and the [[Madagascar hoopoe]]. One accepted separate species, the [[Saint Helena hoopoe]], lived on the island of [[St Helena]] but became extinct in the 16th century, presumably due to introduced species.<ref name="St Helena">{{cite book |last=Olson |first=Storrs |title=Paleornithology of St Helena Island, south Atlantic Ocean |year=1975 |series=Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology |volume=23 |url=http://www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancontributions/Paleobiology/pdf_lo/SCtP-0023.pdf }}</ref>

The genus ''Upupa'' was created by [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]] in his ''Systema naturae'' in 1758. It then included three other species with long curved bills:<ref name="Linnaeus 1758"/>

* ''U. eremita'' (now ''Geronticus eremita''), the [[northern bald ibis]]
* ''U. pyrrhocorax'' (now ''Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax''), the [[red-billed chough]]
* ''U. paradisea''

Formerly, the [[greater hoopoe-lark]] (''Alaemon alaudipes'') was also considered to be a member of this genus (as ''Upupa alaudipes'').<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?avibaseid=3E4513D9B079B399 |title=Alaemon alaudipes |website=[[Avibase]] |access-date=2016-11-17 }}</ref>

====Extant species====
Two extant species are recognised:<ref name=ioc/>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Image !! Scientific name !! Common name !! Distribution
|-
|[[File:Hoopoe with insect.jpg|120px]] || ''Upupa epops'' || [[Eurasian hoopoe]] ||Europe, Asia, and North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa
|-
|[[File:Madagascar Hoopoe - Ankarafantsika - Madagascar S4E9386 (15110965529).jpg|120px]] || ''Upupa marginata'' || [[Madagascar hoopoe]] ||Madagascar
|-
|}

==Distribution and habitat==
[[File:Ganden12.JPG|left|thumb|262x262px|Hoopoe nesting at Ganden Monastery, its crest lowered, [[Tibet]] ]]
[[File:Upupa distribution.png|thumb|Distribution of ''Upupa'' species<br>
{{legend0|#00FF00|African hoopoe|border=solid 1px black}}<br>
{{legend0|#FF8000|Eurasian hoopoe (breeding) |border=solid 1px black}}<br>
{{legend0|#008000|Eurasian hoopoe (resident) |border=solid 1px black}}<br>
{{legend0|#0000FF|Eurasian hoopoe (wintering) |border=solid 1px black}}<br>
{{legend0|#808000|Madagascar hoopoe |border=solid 1px black}}
]]
[[File:Hoopoe with insect.jpg|thumb|Hoopoe with insect]]

Hoopoes are widespread in Europe, Asia, and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar.<ref name = "HBW">{{Cite book | first = A | last = Kristin | editor-last = Josep | editor-first = del Hoyo | editor2-last = Andrew | editor2-first = Elliott | editor3-last = Sargatal | editor3-first = Jordi | chapter=Family Upupidae (Hoopoes) | title = [[Handbook of the Birds of the World]]. Volume 6, Mousebirds to Hornbills | year = 2001 | pages=396–411 | place = Barcelona | publisher = Lynx Edicions | isbn = 84-87334-30-X | chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0001unse/page/396 | chapter-url-access=registration }}</ref> Most European and north Asian birds [[bird migration|migrate]] to the tropics in winter.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Migration patterns of Hoopoe ''Upupa epops'' and Wryneck ''Jynx torquilla'': an analysis of European ring recoveries |url=http://www.iee.unibe.ch/cb/content/e7117/e7118/e8739/e8786/e9751/Reichlin_JOrn2009.pdf |journal=Journal of Ornithology |year=2008 |first=Thomas |last=Reichlin |author2=Michael Schaub |author3=Myles H. M. Menz |author4=Murielle Mermod |author5=Patricia Portner |author6=Raphaël Arlettaz |author7=Lukas Jenni |volume=150 |issue=2 |page=393 |doi=10.1007/s10336-008-0361-3 |s2cid=43360238 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140527220145/http://www.iee.unibe.ch/cb/content/e7117/e7118/e8739/e8786/e9751/Reichlin_JOrn2009.pdf |archive-date=2014-05-27 }}</ref> In contrast, the African populations are sedentary all year. The species has been a [[vagrancy (biology)|vagrant]] in [[Alaska]];<ref>{{cite journal |last=Dau |first=Christian |author2=Paniyak, Jack |year=1977 |title=Hoopoe, A First Record for North America |journal=Auk |volume=94 |issue=3 |page=601 |url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v094n03/p0601-p0601.pdf}}</ref> ''U. e. saturata'' was recorded there in 1975 in the [[Yukon Delta]].<ref name=Heindel>{{cite book |title=Complete Birds of North America |last=Heindel |first=Matthew T. |editor=Jonathan Alderfer |year=2006 |publisher=National Geographic Society |isbn=0-7922-4175-4 |page=360 }}</ref> Hoopoes have been known to breed north of their European range,<ref name=Pforr>{{cite book |title=The Breeding Birds of Europe 2: A Photographic Handbook |last=Pforr |first=Manfred |author2=Alfred Limbrunner |year=1982 |publisher=Croom and Helm |location=London |isbn=0-7099-2020-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/breedingbirdsofe02pfor/page/82 82] |url=https://archive.org/details/breedingbirdsofe02pfor/page/82 }}</ref> and in southern England during warm, dry summers that provide plenty of grasshoppers and similar insects,<ref>{{cite book |title=Birdwatch |last=Soper |first=Tony |year=1982 |publisher=Webb & Bower |location=Exeter, England |isbn=0-906671-55-8 |page=141 }}</ref> although as of the early 1980s northern European populations were reported to be in the decline, possibly due to changes in climate.<ref name=Pforr/>

The hoopoe has two basic requirements of its habitat: bare or lightly vegetated ground on which to forage and vertical surfaces with cavities (such as trees, cliffs or even walls, nestboxes, haystacks, and abandoned burrows<ref name=Pforr/>) in which to nest. These requirements can be provided in a wide range of ecosystems, and as a consequence the hoopoe inhabits a wide range of habitats such as heathland, wooded steppes, savannas and grasslands, as well as forest glades. The Madagascar species also makes use of more dense primary forest. The modification of natural habitats by humans for various agricultural purposes has led to hoopoes becoming common in olive groves, orchards, vineyards, parkland and farmland, although they are less common and are declining in intensively farmed areas.<ref name = "HBW"/> Hunting is of concern in southern Europe and Asia.<ref name=Heindel/>

Hoopoes make seasonal movements in response to rain in some regions such as in [[Sri Lanka|Ceylon]] and in the [[Western Ghats]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Champion-Jones, RN |year=1937| title= The Ceylon Hoopoe (''Upupa epops ceylonensis'' Reichb.)| journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume=39|issue=2|page=418}}</ref> Birds have been seen at high altitudes during migration across the [[Himalayas]]. One was recorded at about {{Convert|6400|m|abbr=on}} by the first [[Mount Everest]] expedition.<ref name=hbk>{{cite book|last1=Ali|first1=Sálim |last2=Ripley|first2=Sidney Dillon |last3=Dick|first3=John Henry |title=Compact Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan: Together with Those of Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VGxhQgAACAAJ|year=1987|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-562063-4|pages=124–129|volume=4|edition=2nd}}</ref>

==Behaviour and ecology==
In what was long thought to be a defensive posture, hoopoes sunbathe by spreading out their wings and tail low against the ground and tilting their head up; they often fold their wings and preen halfway through.<ref name=Fry1/> They also enjoy taking dust and sand baths.<ref name=Harrison>{{cite book |last1=Harrison |first1=C.J.O. |first2=Christopher |last2=Perrins |title=Birds: Their Ways, Their World |publisher=The Reader's Digest Association |year=1979 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/birdstheirlifeth00came/page/303 303–304] |isbn=0-89577-065-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/birdstheirlifeth00came/page/303 }}</ref> Adults may begin their moult after the breeding season and continue after they have migrated for the winter.<ref name="CleevesHolden2014">{{cite book|last1=Cleeves|first1=Tim |last2=Holden|first2=Peter |title=RSPB Handbook of British Birds|url={{google books|id=_0r4AwAAQBAJ|plainurl=yes|keywords=hoopoe}}|year=2014|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-1-4729-1010-3}}</ref>

===Diet and feeding===
[[File:Dudek chocholatý při krmení mláďat.jpg|thumb|Hoopoe bringing food to the nest in the [[Pálava Protected Landscape Area|Pálava PLA]], [[South Moravian Region]], Czech Republic]]
[[File:Wiedehopf beim Fütterungsanflug im Naturschutzgebiet Glockenbuckel von Viernheim.jpg|thumb|Eurasian hoopoe in the nature reserve Glockenbuckel von Viernheim]]
[[File:Young and mature hoopoe.jpg|thumb|right|Young and mature hoopoe in Dubai park]]
[[File:Hoopoe feeding in Lengeri, Assam, India.webm|thumb|A hoopoe feeding in Lengeri village, [[Assam]], India]]

The diet of the hoopoe is mostly composed of insects, although small reptiles, frogs and plant matter such as seeds and berries are sometimes taken as well. It is a solitary forager which typically feeds on the ground. More rarely they will feed in the air, where their strong and rounded wings make them fast and manoeuverable, in pursuit of numerous swarming insects. More commonly their foraging style is to stride over relatively open ground and periodically pause to probe the ground with the full length of their bill. Insect larvae, pupae and mole crickets are detected by the bill and either extracted or dug out with the strong feet. Hoopoes will also feed on insects on the surface, probe into piles of leaves, and even use the bill to lever large stones and flake off bark. Common diet items include crickets, locusts, beetles, earwigs, cicadas, ant lions, bugs and ants. These can range from {{convert|10| to| 150|mm|1}} in length, with a preferred prey size of around {{convert|20|–|30|mm|1}}. Larger prey items are beaten against the ground or a preferred stone to kill them and remove indigestible body parts such as wings and legs.<ref name="HBW" />

===Breeding===
Hoopoes are [[monogamy in animals|monogamous]], although the pair bond apparently only lasts for a single season. They are also [[territory (animal)|territorial]]. The male calls frequently to advertise his ownership of the territory. Chases and fights between rival males (and sometimes females) are common and can be brutal.<ref name = "HBW"/> Birds will try to stab rivals with their bills, and individuals are occasionally blinded in fights.<ref name="Martin Vivaldi">{{cite journal|last1=Martin-Vivaldi|first1=Manuel|last2=Palomino|first2=Jose J.|last3=Soler|first3=Manuel|year=2004 |title= Strophe Length in Spontaneous Songs Predicts Male Response to Playback in the Hoopoe ''Upupa epops''|journal =Ethology|volume=110|issue=5|pages=351–362|doi = 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2004.00971.x|bibcode=2004Ethol.110..351M }}</ref> The nest is in a hole in a tree or wall, and has a narrow entrance.<ref name=Harrison/> It may be unlined, or various scraps may be collected.<ref name=Pforr/> The female alone is responsible for [[avian incubation|incubating]] the eggs. [[avian clutch size|Clutch size]] varies with location: Northern Hemisphere birds lay more eggs than those in the Southern Hemisphere, and birds at higher latitudes have larger clutches than those closer to the equator. In central and northern Europe and Asia the clutch size is around 12, whereas it is around four in the tropics and seven in the subtropics. The eggs are round and milky blue when laid, but quickly discolour in the increasingly dirty nest.<ref name = "HBW"/> They weigh {{convert|4.5|g}}.<ref name=Fry1/> A replacement clutch is possible.<ref name=Pforr/> When food is bountiful, the female will lay a few extra eggs for the purpose of providing food for chicks that have already hatched. In a study done in Spain, it was found that nests with a higher incidence of cannibalism successfully fledged more chicks than in nests where hatchlings weren't fed to older chicks.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Barón |first1=María Dolores |last2=Martín-Vivaldi |first2=Manuel |last3=Martínez-Renau |first3=Ester |last4=Soler |first4=Juan José |date=2024-04-01 |title=Extra Nestlings That Are Condemned to Die Increase Reproductive Success in Hoopoes |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/728883 |journal=The American Naturalist |language=en |volume=203 |issue=4 |pages=503–512 |doi=10.1086/728883 |pmid=38489778 |bibcode=2024ANat..203..503B |issn=0003-0147|url-access=subscription |hdl=10261/347565 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

Hoopoes have well-developed anti-predator defences in the nest. The [[uropygial gland]] of the incubating and brooding female is quickly modified to produce a foul-smelling liquid, and the glands of nestlings do so as well. These secretions are rubbed into the plumage. The secretion, which smells like rotting meat, is thought to help deter predators, as well as deter parasites and possibly act as an antibacterial agent.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Martin-Platero|first1=A. M.|last2=Valdivia|first2=E.|last3=Ruiz-Rodriguez|first3=M.|last4=Soler|first4=J. J.|last5=Martin-Vivaldi|first5=M.|last6=Maqueda|first6=M.|last7=Martinez-Bueno|first7=M.|year=2006|title=Characterization of Antimicrobial Substances Produced by Enterococcus faecalis MRR 10-3, Isolated from the Uropygial Gland of the Hoopoe (Upupa epops) |journal=Applied and Environmental Microbiology|volume=72|issue=6|pages=4245–4249|doi=10.1128/AEM.02940-05|pmid=16751538|pmc=1489579|bibcode=2006ApEnM..72.4245M |display-authors=etal}}</ref> The secretions stop soon before the young leave the nest.<ref name=Fry1/> From the age of six days, nestlings can also direct streams of faeces at intruders, and will hiss at them in a snake-like fashion.<ref name = "HBW"/> The young also strike with their bill or with one wing.<ref name=Fry1/>

The incubation period for the species is between 15 and 18 days, during which time the male feeds the female. Incubation begins as soon as the first egg is laid, so the chicks are born asynchronously. The chicks hatch with a covering of [[Down feather|downy feathers]]. By around day three to five, feather quills emerge which will become the adult feathers. The chicks are brooded by the female for between 9 and 14 days.<ref name = "HBW"/> The female later joins the male in the task of bringing food.<ref name=Harrison/> The young [[fledge]] in 26 to 29 days and remain with the parents for about a week more.<ref name=Pforr/>

<gallery widths="200" heights="200">
File:Huppe fasciée MHNT ZOO 2010 11 161 Ouzouer-sur-Trézée.jpg|Hoopoe eggs ([[MHNT|Muséum de Toulouse]])
File:Eurasian hoopoe (Upupa epops) juvenile in nest box 2.jpg|Juvenile in nest box, [[Hungary]]
File:10 ZhaoMengfu- Hoopoe on Bamboo. Shanghai mus..jpg|''Hoopoe on Bamboo'' by [[Zhao Mengfu]], c. 1254–1322 ([[Shanghai Museum]])
File:Upupa epops (Ramat Gan)002.jpg|Eurasian hoopoe in Israel; crest lowered. The hoopoe is Israel's [[national bird]].
File:Hoopoe at Rajaji NP.jpg|Hoopoe at [[Rajaji National Park]], [[Uttarakhand]], India
File:Eurasian Hoopoe in Bangladesh.jpg|Hoopoe in [[Satchari National Park|Satchori National Park]], [[Bangladesh]]
</gallery>

==Relationship with humans==
The diet of the hoopoe includes many species considered by humans to be [[Pest (organism)|pests]], such as the pupae of the [[Thaumetopoea pityocampa|processionary moth]], a damaging forest pest which few other birds will eat because of its irritating hairs.<ref name="pest">{{cite journal| last=Battisti| first=A |author2=Bernardi, M. |author3=Ghiraldo, C. | year=2000|title=Predation by the hoopoe (''Upupa epops'') on pupae of ''Thaumetopoea pityocampa'' and the likely influence on other natural enemies |journal=Biocontrol|volume=45|issue=3|pages=311–323|doi = 10.1023/A:1009992321465| bibcode=2000BioCo..45..311B | s2cid=11447864 }}</ref> For this reason, the species is afforded protection under the law in many countries.<ref name="HBW" />

===In folklore, myth and religion===
{{main|Hudhud (mythology)}}
The hoopoe has a long presence in [[Near East]]ern culture, folklore, mythology and religion. In [[Ancient Egypt]], the hoopoe was used in the iconography as a symbolic code to indicate the child was the heir and successor of his father.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Marshall, Amandine|year=2015|title=The child and the hoopoe in ancient Egypt|journal=KMT|volume=72|issue=26.1|pages=59–63|url=https://www.academia.edu/15366631}}</ref> It also had a symbolic standing in [[Minoan Crete]].<ref name="Fry1">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Fry |first=Hilary C. |editor=Christopher Perrins |encyclopedia=Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds |year=2003 |publisher=Firefly Books |isbn=1-55297-777-3 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/fireflyencyclope0000unse/page/382 382] |url=https://archive.org/details/fireflyencyclope0000unse/page/382 |title=Hoopoe }}</ref>

The Hoopoe, known as the {{lang|ar-Latn|[[Hudhud (mythology)|hudhud]]}} ({{lang|ar|هُدْهُد}}), also appears with [[Solomon in Islam|King Solomon]] in the [[Quran]] in Surah 27 {{lang|ar|ٱلنَّمْل}} {{lang|ar-Latn|Al-Naml}} (The Ant):
{{blockquote|<poem>27:20 ˹One day˺ he [Solomon] inspected the birds, and wondered, “Why is it that I cannot see the hoopoe? Or could he be absent?
27:21 I will surely subject him to a severe punishment, or ˹even˺ slaughter him, unless he brings me a compelling excuse.”
27:22 It was not long before the bird came and said, “I have found out something you do not know. I have just come to you from Sheba with sure news.
27:23 Indeed, I found [[Women in the Quran#The Queen of Sheba (Bilqis)|a woman ruling over them]], who has been given everything ˹she needs˺, and who has a magnificent throne.
27:24 I found her and her people prostrating to the sun instead of Allah. For Satan has made their deeds appealing to them—hindering them from the ˹Right˺ Way and leaving them unguided—</poem>|{{qref|27|20-24|c=y}}}}

The connection of the hoopoe with Solomon and the Queen of Sheba in the Qur'anic tradition is mentioned in passing in [[Rudyard Kipling|Rudyard Kipling's]] ''[[Just So Stories|Just So]]'' story "[[The Butterfly that Stamped]]".

In the pre-Islamic [[Vainakh religion]] of [[Chechnya]], [[Ingushetia]] and [[Dagestan]], the hoopoe was sacred to the goddess [[Tusholi]] and known as "Tusholi's hen". As her bird, it could be hunted only with the permission of the goddess's high priest for strictly medicinal purposes.<ref>Jaimoukha, Amjad. ''The Chechens: A Handbook''. Page 119</ref>

In [[Persia]], hoopoes were seen as a symbol of virtue, and one was portayed as a leader of the birds in the Persian book of poems ''[[The Conference of the Birds]]'' ({{lang|fa-Latn|Mantiq al-Tayr}} by [[Attar of Nishapur|Attar]]), though when the birds seek a king, the hoopoe points out that the [[Simurgh]] is the king of the birds.<ref>{{cite book|last=Smith|first= Margaret |year=1932|title=The Persian Mystics 'Attar'.|publisher= E.P.Dutton and Company|place=New York|page=27|url=https://archive.org/stream/MN40189ucmf_0#page/n29/mode/2up/}}</ref>

Hoopoes were thought of as thieves across much of Europe, and harbingers of war in [[Scandinavia]].<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Dupree | first1 = N | year = 1974 | title = An Interpretation of the Role of the Hoopoe in Afghan Folklore and Magic | journal = Folklore | volume = 85 | issue = 3| pages = 173–93 | jstor = 1260073 | doi = 10.1080/0015587X.1974.9716553 }}</ref> In [[Estonia]]n tradition, hoopoes are strongly connected with death and the [[underworld]]; their song is believed to foreshadow death for many people or cattle.<ref>Mall Hiiemäe, 
[https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=et&u=http://folklore.ee/tagused/nr5/linnud4.htm&ei=jCBCS4O1IYfC-QaIo5GvCg&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAcQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://folklore.ee/tagused/nr5/linnud4.htm%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dopera%26rls%3Det%26hs%3DHwq Forty birds in Estonian folklore IV]. translate.google.com</ref> In medieval [[ritual magic]], the hoopoe was thought to be an evil bird. The ''[[Munich Manual of Demonic Magic]]'', a collection of magical spells compiled in Germany frequently requires the [[sacrifice]] of a hoopoe to summon [[demon]]s and perform other magical intentions.<ref name="Kieckhefer">{{cite book|last=Kieckhefer|first=Richard |title=Forbidden Rites: A Necromancer's Manual of the Fifteenth Century|url=https://archive.org/stream/pdfy-4Rxf8pz0BPZve9E5/_lcsyIJwV#page/n55|year=1998|publisher=Penn State Press|isbn=0-271-01751-1|pages=47–}}</ref>

Tereus, transformed into the hoopoe, is the king of the birds in the [[Ancient Greek]] comedy ''[[The Birds (play)|The Birds]]'' by [[Aristophanes]]. In [[Ovid]]'s ''[[Metamorphoses]]'', book 6, King [[Tereus]] of Thrace rapes Philomela, his wife Procne's sister, and cuts out her tongue. In revenge, Procne kills their son Itys and serves him as a stew to his father. When Tereus sees the boy's head, which is served on a platter, he grabs a sword but just as he attempts to kill the sisters, they are turned into birds—Procne into a [[swallow]] and Philomela into a [[nightingale]]. Tereus himself is turned into an ''epops'' (6.674), translated as ''[[lapwing]]'' by Dryden<ref>{{cite web |author1=Garth, Samuel |author2=Dryden, John | title = ''Metamorphoses'' by Ovid | url = http://classics.mit.edu/Ovid/metam.6.sixth.html |display-authors=etal}}</ref> and ''lappewincke'' (''lappewinge'') by [[John Gower]] in his ''[[Confessio Amantis]]'',<ref>Book 5, lines 6041 and 6046. {{cite book|last=Gower|first=John |author-link=John Gower|title=Tales of the Seven Deadly Sins: Being the Confessio Amantis|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/266/266-h/266-h.htm|year=1889|publisher=Routledge|via=[[Project Gutenberg]]}}</ref> or ''hoopoe'' in A.S. Kline's translation.<ref>{{cite web | last = Kline | first = A.S. | title = The Metamorphoses: They are transformed into birds | year = 2000 | url =http://www.tkline.freeserve.co.uk/Metamorph6.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070711223650/http://www.tkline.freeserve.co.uk/Metamorph6.htm | archive-date =2007-07-11 | access-date = 2009-02-17}}</ref> The bird's crest indicates his royal status, and his long, sharp beak is a symbol of his violent nature. English translators and poets probably had the [[northern lapwing]] in mind, considering its crest.

===As emblem===
The Eurasian hoopoe was chosen as the [[national bird]] of [[Israel]] in May 2008 in conjunction with the country's 60th anniversary, following a national survey of 155,000 citizens, outpolling the [[white-spectacled bulbul]].<ref name="ynet_Hoop">{{Cite news | title = Hoopoe Israel's new national bird | last = Erlichman | first = Erez | work = Ynetnews | date = 30 May 2008 | access-date = 2018-06-03 | url = https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3549637,00.html }}</ref> The hoopoe appears on the logo of the [[University of Johannesburg]] and is the official mascot of the university's sports teams. The municipalities of [[Armstedt]] and [[Brechten]], have a hoopoe in their coats of arms, as does [[Mārupe Municipality]] since 2021.

===Use in folk medicine===
In Morocco, hoopoes are traded live and as medicinal products in the markets, primarily in herbalist shops. This trade is unregulated and a potential threat to local populations.<ref name="mago_Comm">{{Cite web | title = Commerce illégal des oiseaux sauvages au Maroc: photo-reportage | work = MaghrebOrnitho | date = 23 December 2013 | access-date = 2018-06-03 | url = https://www.magornitho.org/2013/12/wild-bird-trade/ | language =fr|trans-title= Illegal trade in wild birds in Morocco: photo-report }}</ref>

In [[Manipur]], one of the states comprising [[Northeast India]], the hoopoe is still used by traditional Muslim healers in a variety of preparations believed locally to benefit a number of conditions both medical and [[Culture-bound syndrome|spiritual]].<ref name= "Ibopishak & Bimola">Ibopishak, S.O. and Bimola, D.A. Comparative Study of the Treatment of Kidney Stone with Upupa epops, Cissus adanta Roxb. and Cissus javana DC* in the Urinary Medium. Published Online: July 21, 2020 ISSN: 2684-4478 DOI :10.24018/ejchem.2020.1.4.8 https://ej-chem.org/index.php/ejchem/article/download/8/6 Retrieved at 11.11 on Thursday 28/4/22.</ref>
Manipur abuts upon [[Myanmar]] and has been a cultural crossroads and melting pot of cultures for over 2,500 years.<ref>Naorem Sanajaoba (editor), ''Manipur, Past and Present: The Heritage and Ordeals of a Civilization'', Volume 4, Chapter 1: NK Singh, {{ISBN|978-8170998532}}</ref> Its traditional medicine may thus reflect influences from an unusually wide area, including not only the [[Indian subcontinent]] but also [[Central Asia]], [[Southeast Asia]], [[East Asia]] and even the further-flung regions of [[Siberia]], the [[Arctic]], [[Micronesia]] and [[Polynesia]].<ref>Naorem Sanajaoba (editor), ''Manipur, Past and Present: The Heritage and Ordeals of a Civilization'', Volume 4, Chapter 4: K Murari, {{ISBN|978-8170998532}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=manipur.History_of_Manipur.Trade_connection_of_Manipur_with_Southeast_Asia_in_Pre_British_period_Part_2_By_Budha_Kamei | title=Trade connection of Manipur with Southeast Asia in Pre British period Part 2 by Budha Kamei | access-date=7 July 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708044726/http://e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=manipur.History_of_Manipur.Trade_connection_of_Manipur_with_Southeast_Asia_in_Pre_British_period_Part_2_By_Budha_Kamei | archive-date=8 July 2018 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref> Ibopishak and Bimola record four Manipuri [[Traditional medicine|folk medicinal]] uses of the hoopoe which specify neither the body part of the bird used nor its method of preparation:

*as a [[tranquilizer]]
*in the treatment of [[abdominal pain]],
*in the treatment of [[kidney]] and [[Urinary bladder|bladder]] disorders
*in the "prevention of [[leprosy]]"<ref name= "Ibopishak & Bimola"/>
More specifically, it is believed that if an [[Extract|essence]] (method of preparation unspecified) prepared from the bird is dropped into the eye, it will remove superfluous [[eyelash]]es and [[Nootropic|strengthen the memory]].<ref name= "Ibopishak & Bimola"/>

Furthermore the authors record the following local Manipuri beliefs concerning specific body parts of the hoopoe:
*that its meat prevents frequent [[urination]]; 
*that its feathers have the [[Insecticide|insecticidal]] property of killing [[ant]]s and [[flea]]s 
*that its blood banishes fairies ([[jinn]]) and [[nightmare]]s
*that its heart cures (unspecified) diseases 
*that its [[claw]]s can be used to cure [[speech disorder]]s.<ref name= "Ibopishak & Bimola"/>

While Ibopishak and Bimola are unable to find any discernible effect of hoopoe tissue alone upon the dissolution of [[Kidney stone disease|kidney stones]], they do note that their experiments reveal that hoopoe tissue potentiates the effects of the Manipuri medicinal plant ''[[Cissus javana]]'', when employed to treat such [[Calculus (medicine)|calculi]] (local healers use bird and plant in just such a combination for this purpose). Since, however, there was no [[Scientific control|control]] used involving the tissues of any other bird species, it remains unclear whether there are any medicinal properties peculiar to hoopoe tissue deriving from a distinctive chemistry.<ref name= "Ibopishak & Bimola"/>

===In popular culture===
[[Harrison Tordoff]], a [[World War II]] [[fighter ace]] and later a noted ornithologist, named his [[P-51 Mustang]] ''Upupa epops'', the scientific name of the hoopoe bird.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/survivors/serial/44-72364|title=P-51 Mustang Survivors - MustangsMustangs.com|website=www.mustangsmustangs.com}}</ref>

A talking hoopoe named Almost Brilliant is a character in [[Nghi Vo|Nghi Vo's]] ''Singing Hills Cycle'', first appearing in ''[[The Empress of Salt and Fortune]]''.<ref name="npr">{{cite web |last1=Wick |first1=Jessica P. |title=Uncovering The Secrets Of A Fallen Ruler In 'Empress Of Salt And Fortune' |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/03/28/822621732/uncovering-the-secrets-of-a-fallen-ruler-in-empress-of-salt-and-fortune |website=NPR |access-date=14 July 2023}}</ref>

<gallery widths="180px" heights="250px">
File:Hoopoe bird watercolour.jpg|The hoopoe was recorded as residing in Britain in the 18th century.
File:Hoopoe de.jpg|Art from Naumann's ''Natural History of the Birds of Central Europe'', 3rd ed. of 1905
File:Hoopoe (Upupa epops).jpg|Hoopoe art c. 1900
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/451.pdf "Hoopoe"] in ''The Atlas of Southern African Birds''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161108184626/http://aulaenred.ibercaja.es/wp-content/uploads/286_HoopoeUepops.pdf Ageing and sexing (PDF; 5.3 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze]
* [http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/hoopoe-upupa-epops Hoopoe videos, photos & sounds] in the Internet Bird Collection
* {{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Hoopœ |short=x}}
* {{Cite Americana|wstitle=Hoopoe|year=1920 |short=x}}

{{Cavitaves|B.|state=collapsed}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q4006276|from2=Q20977}}
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[[Category:Birds described in 1758]]
[[Category:Birds of Africa]]
[[Category:Birds of East Africa]]
[[Category:Birds of Eurasia]]
[[Category:Bucerotiformes]]
[[Category:National symbols of Israel]]
[[Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]