CURRENT DISCOVERY

Hoopoe

The hoopoe is a medium-sized, orange-brownish bird with striking black and white banding on its wings and tail. A good feature is its long "feather crest", which can also be raised when excited. Its thin, long, downward curved bill is also unmistakable. Males and females look the same.

The song of the hoopoe is a muffled and quiet but far-reaching, mostly three- or four-syllable "up-up-up". The song is performed from a sitting position with an upright posture but lowered beak. During fights between conspecifics and when disturbed by enemies, a bright, screeching "schäär" is emitted.

The hoopoe feeds primarily on larger insects and their larvae, which it finds in semi-open areas without vegetation or short grassy areas. These include crickets, mole crickets, grasshoppers, spiders, earthworms, butterfly caterpillars and even small lizards. These are found poking around on the ground.

The breeding season begins in April and ends in July. The male searches for the den first and attracts the female. They have a monogamous seasonal marriage. The nests of the hoopoe are located in various cavities (often tree hollows, rock crevices, building niches) and often in nesting boxes that are used several times.

Five to eight eggs are laid and incubated by the female for about 18 days. The male feeds the female during this time. After hatching, the nestlings are independent after 23 to 25 days.

In case of danger, the brooding female and the chicks of the hoopoe can defend themselves by squirting a foul-smelling secretion from the brush gland at their predators. The young also squirt the contents of their rectum at potential intruders. This is why the hoopoe has been given the name "stinky bird".

1 annual brood, in good years up to 2 broods.

The hoopoe is a migratory bird that winters in Africa south of the Sahara. It occurs from Eurasia to Sumatra and eastern China. The main distribution area in Austria is large parts of the Alpine foothills and the larger Alpine valleys. The hoopoe can be found as a breeding bird in Lower Austria's Weinviertel, northern Burgenland, Carinthia, the Tyrolean Inn Valley and eastern Styria in particular.

During the breeding season, the hoopoe seeks out semi-open cultivated landscapes in warm regions. Preferably in wine or fruit-growing areas. The landscape must have sufficient open areas (fallow land, meadows), short vegetation and open, sandy soil. It therefore needs extensive cultivation with lots of insects to find food and hollow-rich old trees or niches in which to breed.

The loss of habitat due to the intensification of agriculture, sealing but also a lack of nesting sites are the main factors why the hoopoe is disappearing in Austria. The hoopoe can be helped by preserving stone and wood piles, dead wood, tall, hollow-rich fruit trees and livestock farming.