Eurasian Hoopoe

Upupa epops

(U. e. epops)

Armenian Name:	Հոպոպ

See Plate 37 for Eurasian Hoopoe and other similar species

Resident Status:	Breeding bird
Abundance:	Common
Length:	26-28 cm, Wing Span:42-46 cm
Distribution Map:	Map 194.
Description:	Long decurved bill and large crest.
Adult:	Boldly-banded black and white flight feathers and tail. Pink-orange head and mantle, slightly paler on throat and breast. Crest tipped with black.
Juvenile:	Duller; off-white bands on wings and tail, and lacks pink below.
Behavior:	Often walks on ground with crest fanned. Flight is slow and bounding with deep wingbeats.
Habitat:	Widespread from semidesert to mountain steppe.
Food:	Invertebrates (especially beetle larvae), small vertebrates.
Nest:	Cup of stems, feathers, and wool in cavity of tree, wall, or stone pile; burrow in sand or clay bank.
Eggs:	26 mm, 5-9, olive-green.