The hoopoe (Upupa epops) is a colourful bird found across Afro-Eurasia, notable for its distinctive "crown" of feathers. In province of Salerno is found near the area of Vallone Porto and in Natural Park Diecimare.
The hoopoe is a medium sized bird, highly distinctive, with a black long, thin bill. Its plumage is unique with a light brown color in the upperpart and horizontal black and white stripes in the superior part. It has broad and rounded wings capable of strong flights.
This species has a characteristic undulating flight, which is like that of a giant butterfly, caused by the wings half closing at the end of each beat. It prefers dry and sunny habitats with bare or lightly vegetated ground and surfaces with cavities where to nest. Its call is typically a trisyllabic oop-oop-oop, which may give rise to its scientific names, produced by the male bird for the attraction of the female in sping.
In culture, his passage is considered as a sign of misfortune and is called “bird of bad omen”. It is often mentioned in art; in Eugenio Montale’s poem and is the king of the birds in Aristophanes comedy “The Birds”. The hoopoe is the national bird of Israel.
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Notes
BirdLife International 2007. Upupa epops In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Versione 2010.1
Mario Spagnesi, Lorenzo Serra - Uccelli d'Italia - Ministero dell'ambiente e della tutela del territorio, Direzione conservazione della natura, 2003