Hoopoe… why the smell? ✔ “Hoo-poo” call and crest ✔ Nest odour defence explained ✔ Where to look on safari Odd, striking, unforgettable. Quick facts that make the hoopoe easy to find and remember. 🐦‍⬛🧠🌳 Open the hoopoe facts in the first comment and add it to your list. #Hoopoe #birdfacts #savanna #fieldID #SouthAfrica #AfricaFevers | AdventurousAfrica

Hoopoe

5 incredible Hoopoe facts: 1) Fossils show a stable evolutionary history of the hoopoe dating back nearly 40 million years. 2) The bird is named after its “oop-oop-oop” call. 3) They appear in Egyptian hieroglyphs, biblical references, and are Israel’s national bird. 4) It is celebrated as a wise guide in the Persian Sufi poem "The Conference of the Birds" by Farid ud-Din Attar. 5) Hoopoes secrete a foul, rotten meat-smelling substance from their uropygial gland to repel predators and parasites.

Hoopoe bird flying and feeding babies in tree hole nest

The African Hoopoe (Upupa africana) is a distinctive bird known for its prominent, black-tipped chestnut crest, orange/cinnamon body, and black-and-white striped wings/tail, feeding on ground insects by probing with its long bill in open African habitats. Crest: A fan of long, chestnut feathers with black tips, raised when excited or alarmed. Plumage: Rich orange or cinnamon body, contrasting with bold black and white stripes on rounded wings and tail, forming a V-shape on the back. Bill: Long,

Red-billed Wood Hoopoe - Whole Earth Education