ORANGE BIRDS SEEN IN NORTH AMERICA

Eurasian Hoopoe

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Upupa Epops

Eurasian Hoopoe

Adults have plumage on the chest that varies from pinkish-brown to chestnut. The broad, rounded wings, back, and tail are barred black and white. The spectacular erectile crest is the same color as the head and tipped with black.

They may begin their molt after the breeding season and continue after they have migrated for the winter.

Juveniles are duller than adults, the white in the wings is tinged with cream and the crest and bill are relatively short.

The Eurasian Hoopoe is highly distinctive, with a long, thin tapering bill that is black with a fawn base. The strengthened musculature of the head allows the bill to be opened when probing inside the soil.

BILL: black with a fawn base, long and thin.

SIZE: measures about 9.8 - 12.6 inches in length, with a wingspan of 17 - 19 inches.

WEIGHT: weighs about 46 - 89 grams.

COLOR: pinkish-brown, black and white.

Insects, spiders, snails, and other small invertebrates.

A variety of open settings, and are often seen around human habitation, such as in parks, suburban settings, orchards, and vineyards.

Europe, Asia, and North Africa and northern Sub-Saharan Africa.

SONG: A rich, soft (but far-carrying) “hoo-hoo-hoo”.

CALL: typically a trisyllabic “oop-oop-oop”.

NEST: Nest is often an old woodpecker hole or other tree cavity, but they will also use cavities in man-made structures. It is typically lined with soft materials such as feathers and plant fibers.

EGGS: between 3 - 11 eggs.

INCUBATION: 15 - 18 days, female.

NESTLING PHASE: 25 - 32 days.