What the hills call it
Hudhud
/ hud·hud /हुदहुद
Eurasian Hoopoe — Salmon-pink with a fanning crest, probing the lawns.
Field notes
- Order
- Bucerotiformes
- Family
- Upupidae · Hoopoes
- Genus
- Upupa
- Length
- 25–29 cm
- Weight
- 46–89 g
- At Kunja
- Resident — here all year round
- Conservation
- Least Concern
How to know it
Unmistakable — salmon-pink with bold black-and-white wings and tail, a long curved bill and a fan-like crest it raises on landing.
What it eats
Insects and grubs probed from soft earth and short grass with that long, decurved bill.
Where & when to spot it
On lawns, paths, field edges and open ground, walking and probing; flies up with a floppy, butterfly-like flight.
Nesting & mating
In a tree-hole or wall cavity — a famously unkempt nest; five to eight eggs in spring and summer.
In the lens
Eurasian Hoopoe, photographed at Haldwani
Photographs by Manohar Negi · mnegi.com — tap any photo to view it full
More to spot
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