Eurasian hoopoe Upupa epops
This beautiful bird is also nicknamed the drekhaan (literally: ‘muck bird’).
A century ago, the Eurasian hoopoe was a common summer bird in the Netherlands. Nowadays, their visits are scarce.
The Eurasian hoopoe in a nutshell
- eats
- large insects, snails, small reptiles
- inhabits
- Europe, Africa and Asia
- excels at
- smelling awful
Muck bird
The female protects her eggs with a foul-smelling liquid produced by a special gland. She smears this liquid over her eggs and the smell repels predators. In addition to that, the bacteria in this liquid produce special antibacterial substances that protect the eggs from certain infections. The female also sprays the liquid over predators to drive them away.
Striped headdress
The Eurasian hoopoe has black and white striped wings and a distinctive crest that it can raise for communication purposes. The bird keeps the crest flat when in flight, but often raises it upon landing.
Butterfly stroke
No, these birds cannot swim. Hoopoes do, however, have a typically undulating flight, making them resemble giant butterflies because of the way they half-close their wings after each wing beat.
Disappeared
The Eurasian hoopoe is included on the Red List in the Netherlands as ‘Disappeared’. This bird needs old agricultural areas with trees and ruins in order to breed, and because there are few such areas in the Netherlands today, the chances of it returning here are slim. If the hoopoe is to return to the Netherlands, then it must be protected in other countries such as France and Germany. However, old agricultural areas are disappearing in those countries too, and pesticides are causing a population decline in insects, the hoopoe’s food.
The Eurasian hoopoe has been adopted by FLAT//LAND.