Nature

Hoopoe (Upupa epops)

The hoopoe is a migratory bird – spending the wintertime in Africa and summertime in Poland or other European countries (excluding Ireland, UK, Benelux and Scandinavia). Upon arriving in Europe the male searches for an appropriate place for nesting (usually it’s a tree hollow in an old willow tree) and starts courtships. It calls the female, raises its magnificent crest and moves its tail, and then it feeds her with delicious insect larvae. After mating and laying eggs they hatch them together. Nestlings defend themselves from intruders by spraying liquid feces or a foul-smelling substance from a special rump gland. These shots can range as far as 50 centimetres. That’s why hoopoe nests are known for their bad smell. Hoopoes prey upon insects and their larvae, digging them out of the ground and cattle excrements. Decline of cattle grazing, removal of trees with hollows and increasingly intensive agriculture cause the number of hoopoes in Poland to fall each year. Data from 2005 indicates around 4 thousand pairs. The hoopoe is a protected species in Poland.

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