PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIES OF SOME LESS FAMILIAR BIRDS LXVI. HOOPOE (Plates 47-51) Photographed by C. C. DONCASTER THE Hoopoe (Upupa epops) has already appeared in our series (vol. xlii, plates 15-17), but Mr. Doncaster's magnificent photographs are so different, and show so well the remarkable flight pattern of this bird, that we feel more than justified in publishing them. The Hoopoe is mainly pinkish-brown in colour, but with a contrasting pattern of black-and-white on the wings and tail. As plates 47 and 51 perhaps best show, the final touch of the bizarre is added by the long crown feathers, each of which has a black tip. In its normal closed position (plate 47) the crest formed by these feathers protrudes like a thick cone behind the crown. When the bird is alarmed, however, and frequently as it settles, these feathers are raised to form a "fan" on top of the head (plate 51). The bird has aptly been likened to a huge tiger moth, a resemblance which is enhanced by its rather weak-looking, undulating flight and its broad wings, (plate 48). The patterning is formed by five broad white bars across the inner wing (not four as is suggested by the plate in the Field Guide). The rearmost of these, as is well shown in plate 48, extends over the base of the tail and along the whole length of the wing across the primaries. When the bird is in flight this pattern can be picked out at a considerable distance and, as plates 49 and 50 show, the markings are the same on the underwing. About the size of a Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus), but with a long, slightly curved bill, this bird attracts attention wherever it appears. Consequently its regular passage in spring and' autumn, chiefly in southern England but also further north and in parts of Ireland, has little chance of passing unnoticed. For some considerable time, until quite recently, it was a much less frequent visitor than formerly (see W. E. Glegg, Ibis, 1942, pp. 390-434); yet since 1948 numbers of Hoopoes have been reported in nearly every year and breeding seems to have taken place on at least two occasions. In 1954 the spring passage was very wide-spread, and its strength is shown by the fact that no less than 21 were reported from Co. Cork alone. Its breeding range extends in suitable tree-country across most of continental Europe, except Scandinavia, across much of Asia, except the north, and in many parts of Africa. The nest, as in these photographs, is normally inside a hole in a tree, though at times other suitable holes or 356
VOL. XLVIII] PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIES 357 crevices may be used. There is often no nesting' material, and it seems possible that sometimes at least, the grass, feathers, etc., upon which the eggs are occasionally laid may be the remains of the nest of another hole-breeding species. The female incubates the 5-8 yellowish-grey eggs, and the male brings food to her while she sits. She may go for a considerable period without leaving the hole at all, though if for any reason the male's visits are delayed, she will come out to forage for herself. I.J.F.-L.
PLATE 47 ADULT HOOPOE (Upupa epops) AT NEST-HOLE CAMARGUE, SOUTH FRANCE, May 1953 Note the pattern of black-and-white barring on the wings and tail and the corresponding barring of black and buff on the crown formed by the 'dark tips to the feathers of the closed crest. As this picture shows, the bird is capable of clinging to the bark of a tree like a woodpecker; indeed, some authorities have said that it will climb like a woodpecker (see page 356).
PLATE 48 C C. Doncaster ADULT HOOPOE (Upupa epops) AT NEST-HOLE CAMARGUE, SOUTH FRANCE, MAY 1953 The breadth and rounded shape of the distinctively barred wings can be seen here. There are five white lines on the inner wing, the rearmost extending from the end of one wing to that of the other across the base of the tail. There is also barring across the lower back, but this is less contrasted.
PLATE 49 ADULT HOOPOE (Upupa epops) FLYING FROM NEST-IIOLE CAMAKGUE, SOUTH FRANCE, MAY 1953 The exact replica of the barring on the upper wing is to be seen from below, and the way these marks are formed by curved shapes on the primaries and secondaries is particularly clearly illustrated in this photograph. Note, also, the shape of the bill and the way in which the crest lies almost flat across the back in full flight.
PLATE 50 ADULT HOOPOE (Upupa epops) FLYING FROM NEST-HOLE: CAMARGUE, SOUTH FRANCE, MAY 1953 Here the extent of the uniform pinkish-buff on the under-parts and along the front edge of the inner wing is best shown. These photographs illustrate a typical nest-site, which is normally either a natural or a woodpecker's hole in a tree at a height varying from 6 to 50 feet. Occasionally other crevices, such as those in walls, are used (see page 357).
PLATE 51 ADULT HOOPOE (Upupa epops) FLYING TO NEST-HOLE : CAMARGUE, SOUTH FRANCE, MAY 1953 Here the crest has been almost completely raised as the bird approaches the nest-hole, and the dark tip to each of the long crown feathers shows up clearly. Hoopoes feed almost entirely on insectivorous matter, which is collected on the ground.