Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops) Photo By Arturo Nikolai – originally posted to Flickr as ABUBILLA (Upupa epops), CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3914305

Dear Readers, there have been no sightings of this exotic bird in East Finchley yet, but I note with some excitement that a number have been spotted in the southeast recently – there was one at Rainham Marshes and one in Sevenoaks. About a hundred Hoopoes turn up in the UK every year, after getting confused during their northern migration – the first Hoopoe ever spotted was in the City of London in 1666 (the year of the Great Fire) and I imagine that it caused quite a stir. But actually, Hoopoes live right across mainland Europe, North Africa and Asia, and they regularly hop across the Channel in spring and again in autumn. We could actually do with a few more of them here, as they have a taste for Processionary Moth pupae, which they dig out of the ground, or eat when they find them on trees.

Photo by By Gunjan Pandey – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=132620264

When Hoopoes used to arrive in the UK during Victorian times they were regularly blasted out of the sky or trapped for their feathers. Fortunately these days people are a little kinder, though individual arrivals might find themselves with rather more interest from photographers than is strictly good for them. A pair of Hoopoes came to the UK and bred in 2023, the first confirmed breeding since 1996. As global warming continues to make our winters milder and wetter, particularly in the South, we might see more of these birds breeding here.

Young Hoopoe in a nest box in Hungary (Photo By Charles J. Sharp – Own work, from Sharp Photography, sharpphotography.co.uk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81895148)

Why are they called Hoopoes, you ask? Well, have a listen to this recording by Esperanza Poveda, in Spain. It’s possibly more of a ‘hoo-hoo-hoo’ than a ‘hoo-poo’ but you get the idea.

When feeding, Hoopoes generally behave rather like Green Woodpeckers by feeding in short turf- in the UK they are said to have a taste for ‘vicarage lawns’, and the birds have special muscles in their jaws which enable them to open their beaks once embedded in the soil.

Photo by By J.M.Garg – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3049206

These are undoubtedly attractive and exotic-looking birds, and it would be real treat to spot one – I once saw one from a distance in Madagascar, and it made my day every bit as much as the lemurs. However, they are notoriously smelly birds during the breeding season – the female’s preen gland starts to produce a secretion that is said to smell of rotting meat, and she adorns herself, and her chicks with this. Rather than attracting predators, this stink is thought to deter them, and it may also act as an anti-microbial and/or anti-parasite agent. As soon as the breeding season is over, the gland goes back to its normal job of producing an oil to keep the feathers in good condition. To add to their protection, nestlings can also squirt a stream of faeces at a predator, and they hiss like snakes. Well, if you’re a small, apparently defenceless bird stuck in a nest hole without any way to escape, it makes sense to use everything at your disposal. Interestingly, in the Indian state of Manipur the feathers of a Hoopoe are considered to be able to get rid of fleas and other insects, so as usual there may be good reasons for a folk remedy.

Photo by Antony Grossy at https://www.flickr.com/photos/atony/7488393872

It’s no wonder that the Hoopoe is a bird that is in the top ten species to appear on postage stamps, that it’s the national bird of Israel, and that it’s the mascot of the University of Johannesburg. You really can’t ignore a Hoopoe, but people are often surprised by its size – it’s not much bigger than a song thrush. What I rather like is that unlike some storm-tossed little waifs who turn up on British shores following thunderstorms, and which often rapidly die, Hoopoes seem to make themselves at home while they’re here, eating our insects and ignoring our photographers. I wonder what will happen over time? It will be interesting to see.

Photo by By Iamranabd – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=129865168