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To: JustAmy
Amy, this bird was in my file with no name! It is similar to that one you posted, isn't it? They are pretty, but just different!


2,638 posted on 04/27/2009 2:05:28 PM PDT by jaycee
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To: jaycee
That is the same bird, Jaycee.

From A Photo Gallery.

The Hoopoe is 25–29cm long, with a 44–48cm wingspan. This black, white and pink bird is quite unmistakable, especially in its erratic flight, which is like that of a giant butterfly. The crest is erectile, but is mostly kept closed. It walks on the ground like a starling.

The song is a trisyllabic "oop-oop-oop", which gives rise to its English and scientific names.

The nest is in a hole in a tree or wall. Like those of its relatives the kingfishers, the nest tends to contain copious amounts of faeces and smell very foul as a protection against predators. Nesting hoopoes are capable of squirting fecal matter at intruders.

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They are such interesting birds. Maybe because we never see them here.
2,642 posted on 04/27/2009 2:19:28 PM PDT by JustAmy (Taxed Enough Already.)
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