Bird Watching or Twitching in Andalucia Southern Spain
August 2005, Hoopoe, Upupa epops
The hoopoe is an exotic looking bird about the size of a mistle thrush. It has a pinkish-brown body, striking black and white wings, a long black downcurved bill, and a long pinkish-brown crest that it raises when excited. They are quite common and are often seen, during the summer months, on golf courses and open grassland. Hoopoes feed mainly on the ground, eating insects and larvae and they can run at a surprising speed. Their flight seems ungainly and every landing must be as much of a relief to the bird as it is to the birdwatcher