splishsplash Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 I'm sure we heard these this morning. Do they migrate for the winter or will they still be around from last year?[IMG]http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww127/splishsplash_photos/hoopoe.jpg[/IMG] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 Start here:The Hoopoes are back !unknown bird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splishsplash Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 Thanks ClaireSeems really early though, still I pleased they are here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ventodue Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 Hi splishsplash,Summer visitor in France, mainly in the south; migratory birds winter south of the Sahara, but also resident populations in southern Spain and north Africa. Doesn't normally arrive in France before April.It's a widespread species worldwide, including continental Europe, but is generally declining in Europe. Rare breeder in the UK, more usually seen on passage.For more info, go (for example):http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoopoehttp://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/huppe.fasciee.htmlhttp://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/BirdsInEuropeII/BiE2004Sp984.pdfHTHCraig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splishsplash Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 Thanks CraigIt does seem early, but we had them last year & they sound just the same, steered off course by the gales perhaps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 We get plenty in the Vendee I never knew they eat lizards and there are plenty of them...They like to visit the flower beds when you have turned the ground over so I thought they were after worms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ventodue Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 [quote user="Frederick"]We get plenty in the Vendee I never knew they eat lizards ... <snip>[/quote]Hmmm ... well, lizards aren't really their main prey, to be honest [;-)]Have a look at the bill. Then you can see how it's much better suited to this diet:The diet of the Hoopoe is mostly composed of insects, although small reptiles as well as some plant matter such as seeds and berries are sometimes taken as well. Common diet items include crickets, locusts, beetles, earwigs, cicadas, ant lions, bugs and ants. These can range from 10 to 150 mm in length, with the preferred size of prey being around 20-30 mm. Larger prey items are beaten against the ground or a preferred stone in order to kill them and remove indigestible body parts such as wings and legs.It is a solitary forager which typically feeds on the ground. More rarely they will feed in the air, in pursuit of numerous swarming insects, where their strong and rounded wings make them fast and manoeuvrable. More commonly their foraging style is to stride on relatively open ground and periodically pause to probe the ground with the full length of their bill. Insect larvae, pupae and mole crickets are detected by the bill and either extracted or dug out with the strong feet. In addition to feeding in soil, Hoopoes will feed on insects on the surface, as well as probing into piles of leaves and even using the bill to lever large stones and flake off bark.Source: the Wikipedia article referenced previously.AmicalementCraigP.s National bird of Israel, I see. Good to learn something new every day, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ventodue Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 [quote user="ventodue"] <snip> ... but is generally declining in Europe. [/quote]Btw, instructions on how to make a Hoopoe-friendly nestbox here (along with plenty of other excellent stuff on Chris Luck's Planete Passion site)http://planetepassion.com/INFORMATION_FILES/Hoopoe%20box.pdfAmicalementCraig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Sorry Ventodue previous poster suggested eat lizards Have googled them and references to them being ground feeders refers to eating" small reptiles such as lizards " Seems they will eat just about everything they can get down if the stomach content list is anything to go by .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Last year there was a bird we occasionally saw and we thought it was an escaped parrot.It was always high up in the trees and moved quickly - eventually I managed to see it for more than a fleeting glance it was beautiful and managed to identify it as a Golden Orielle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splishsplash Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 I agree, these are fantastic black & gold coloured birds. We had four of them all last summer & they make a very distinctive noise. Great to see.Image deleted by the moderators for copyright reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ventodue Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 [quote user="Frederick"] <snip> Seems they will eat just about everything they can get down if the stomach content list is anything to go by ....[/quote]Yeh, well, when you're hungry, what ever happens along, eh ? [:)]AmicalementCraig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now