Eurasian Hoopoe

The Hoopoes have dramatic black and white wing patterns (the patterns vary between the species) that show in flight.

Their habitat is open cultivated ground with short grass or bare patches. They spend much time on the ground hunting insects and worms. That diet may have been among the reasons the Hoopoe is included on the Old Testament's list of unclean birds (see Leviticus 11:19 and Deuteronomy 14:18).

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.

Hoopoes in human culture
* The Hoopoe featured in Greek mythology. Once a man, Tereus was transformed into the form of a Hoopoe. The character featured prominently in Aristophanes' Birds.

* In Islam, the Hoopoe is associated with King Solomon who spoke with animals, ( in Arabic the Prophet Suleyman ) and he tells him of the Queen of Sheba and her magnificent land. Quran 27:20-28.

* In classical Chinese poetry, the Hoopoe is depicted as a celestial messenger often bearing news of the spring. The Hoopoe is generally considered auspicious in China thanks to its unique beauty.

* On the other hand, the word "dupe" was originally a French dialect word for a Hoopoe, which was applied to unintelligent people because the bird was considered to look stupid.
* A hoopoe figures centrally in The Conference of the Birds, one of the central works of Sufi literature.

* Hoopoes and their blood are often-called-for instruments in many medieval Western magical practices, often associated with various kinds of divination and necromancy.

* Hoopoes are featured in some Medieval Bestiaries, where they are claimed to care for their parents when they get old.

These beautiful birds are very rare and only exist in the remote corners of Bangladesh few in numbers.

Lens: Sigma Zoom Telephoto 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel XTi
Location: Khagrachori, Bangladesh

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