Common Hoopoe

I’ve sighted the Common Hoopoe (Upupa Epops) several times recently on my evenings walk at the Samudram Erie. It’s a very elegant, beautiful bird that somehow looks much too grand for the parched scrubland of the area.



Adult Bird


The Hoopoe is found throughout India and is the State bird of the Punjab. It is a highly distinctive bird that has made a cultural impact in many cultures. They were considered sacred in Ancient Egypt and named as the King of birds in the Ancient Greek comedy ‘The Birds’ by Aristophanes. On the one hand this bird is listed in the Bible as among animals that are detestable and should not be eaten (for which they are probably delighted!) but on the other hand in Persia the Hoopoe is believed to be a symbol of virtue.



Adult with Juvenile


This bird is the same size as the Mynah. It is fawn coloured with black and white zebra markings on its back, wings and tail. It has a conspicuous fan-shaped crest, and a long, slender, gently curved bill. The sexes are alike and are to be found either singly or in pairs on the ground in lightly-wooded country. It is also fond of lawns, gardens and groves around villages and towns.


Bird Grooming


This bird walks and runs with a wadding, quail-like gait. The Hoopoe has a characteristic undulating flight which is like that of a giant butterfly caused by the wings half closing at the end of each beat or short sequence of beats.

It has a soft, musical, penetrating, ‘hoo-po’ repeated intermittently for up to 10 minutes at a time. It is from this call, that the bird has acquired its name i.e. the Hoopoe. This bird also makes other calls include rasping croaks and hisses. A wheezy note is produced by females during courtship feeding by the male.



Birds Mating


In what was long thought to be a defensive posture, Hoopoes sunbathe by spreading out their wings with tail low against the ground and headed tilted up, with wings folded. The Hoopoe is known to enjoy taking dust and sand baths.


Dust Bath


The diet of this bird includes many species considered to be pests by humans; for example the pupae of the processionary moth, a damaging forest pest. As this bird is regarded as highly beneficial to agriculture it is afforded protection under the law in many countries. The modification of natural habitats by humans for various agricultural purposes has led the Hoopoe to becoming common in olive groves, orchards, vineyards, parkland and farmland, and less common in intensively farmed areas.


Bird with Prey

The Hoopoe probes into the soil for food with its bill partly open like forceps. When digging, its crest is folded back and projects in a point behind the head. The strengthened musculature of the head allows the bill to be opened when probing inside the soil.


Eating Underground

The Hoopoe nests principally from February to May in a cavity on a vertical slope such as a tree hollow, hole in a wall or a building. It lines its next untidily with straw, rags and rubbish and lays around 5 or 6 white eggs. Both sexes share in feeding the young.

Hoopoe Video

Baya Weavers Malaysia

Am posting these two amazing photographs of a group of baya weavers' nests. Really beautiful. Previously I made a posting about Baya Weavers at this link here, of several nests that I observed at Samudram Lake, Tiruvannamalai.

For absolutely no reason that I can understand some miscreant burnt down the acacia bush that was home to the lovely nests. It boggles belief that anyone could be mean-spirited to needlessly and spitefully burn down the tree and destroy the nests.

Maybe in Malaysia the nests in the above photographs are in a protected area, or maybe people there have a better understanding of conservation!

Indian Roller

The Indian Roller, (Coracias benghalensis) is also sometimes locally called the Blue Jay, is a very common bird around Tiruvannamalai. And often seen around the area I live at, Samudram Lake. It is the twists and turns of this bird that has given it the name of Roller. It especially indulges in a spectacular courtship display, somersaulting and nose-diving in the air to the accompaniment of harsh, grating screams.

This beautiful bird builds its nest around March to July which is generally made from straw, rags and rubbish in a natural tree-hollow or a hole in a wall of a building. However, a couple of Rollers have just built their nest under the cover of my bamboo roof. Eggs laid usually number 4 or 5 and are glossy, white, roundish ovals.

On several occasions I have noticed the Rollers standing guard against predatory Indian squirrels and crows, who have threatened the nest. These birds have a reputation of fearlessness and will dive and roll not only at animal intruders but also at humans.

The Indian Roller is the size of a Pigeon, blue with biggish head, heavy black bill, rufous brown breast, and pale blue abdomen and undertail. But it is dark and pale blue portions of the wings that show up as brilliant bands in flight.

The Roller generally prefers open cultivated country and light forest. From a lookout on a telegraph wire or high spot, it pounces upon some large insect, frog or lizard on the ground, returning with it either to the same perch or flying to another. This bird is regarded as highly beneficial to agriclture as it destroys vast quantities of injurious insects to farmers.

Baya Weaver

Walking around the partly dried out Samudram Lake, I spotted 3 Baya Weaver nests high up in an inaccessible thorny bush area. The Baya Weaver has been known to nest in trees with a hornet's nest or with the nests of fiercely biting Red Ants, so this bird is careful about protecting its home. Baya Weavers nest in colonies of up to 20-30, usually in trees near freshwater and open ground and is generally found in grassland, cultivated areas, scrub and secondary growths usually near fresh or brackish water.

Baya Weavers eat mainly grass seeds and have large conical beaks to deal with their food. This bird forages in flocks, in grass as well as on the ground and flock flies in close formation, often performing complicated manouvres.

The Baya Weaver's nest is an architectural feat. It hangs from a palm frond or branch and looks like an upside down flask. The general features are a central nesting area with a long tube that leads to a side entrance. This tube makes it difficult even for snakes to enter the nest. Although they look precarious, most nests are very well attached and are impossible to remove without almost destroying the nest. The nests last well through the 3-month breeding season, sometimes even up to a year. After the breeding season, other small birds may roost in the abandoned nests. The nests are made entirely out of strips of grass which the birds collect by cutting a notch in a tall grass, then stripping off a 30-60cm length.

The birds’ breeding season is December-March. At this time, the males put on a brighter costume and they start to build their amazing nests. No stalks or entire grass blades are used. The birds then use their strong beaks to weave and knot the strips of grass. A newly-made nest is green with fresh grass and turns brown as the grass dries. A bird may make up to 500 trips to complete a nest.

The males are promiscuous and try to attract females by building several nests halfway. These half-built "male" nests look like motorcycle helmets complete with chin strap! A female bird first inspects the male's handiwork of a nest before signalling her approval to him. Once a female chooses to mate with him, he might finish the nest. But often, the female completes the nest.

When the female lays and is preoccupied with incubating the eggs, the male abandons her and immediately uses his other half-finished nests to woo a new female. Most males mate with two females, but sometimes three. The males defend his nests from other males. Meanwhile, the female is left to incubate and raise the brood on her own. 3-4 white eggs are laid and the nestlings are fed insects.