Every year, the Russian Bird Conservation Union chooses the bird of the year. Candidate species must meet several conditions. First, they must be widely distributed in order to more people could participate in its study and protection. Secondly, such a bird should be easy to recognize and distinguish from other species to a person without special training. Finally, the species is chosen so that everyone can provide it with specific assistance, for example, take part in population censuses, help solve a housing problem, or protect habitats.
The bird of 2015 in Russia was the redstart, and in 2016 the hoopoe will play this role. It must be admitted that hoopoe fits the criteria perfectly. When we see a hoopoe, we can easily recognize it. The brightest external sign of the hoopoe is a crest on the head of red feathers with black tips. Usually it is complex, but sometimes the bird opens it in the form of a fan. The main color of the plumage of the hoopoe is reddish, from pale buff to bright red, depending on the habitat of the bird (in the south, as a rule, it is brighter). More intense coloration on the chest of the bird, and the abdomen is rather whitish. On the back and wings of the hoopoe there is a contrasting pattern of black and white stripes. Indeed, such a bird can hardly be confused with someone else. Gerald Durrell, in his book Garden of the Gods, talks about a wounded bird he took into his house: “I named my hoopoe Hiawatha, and his appearance in our midst was met with unanimous approval, because my family liked hoopoes, and besides, it was the only exotic a sight that they could all recognize at twenty paces."
The hoopoe is widely distributed. In Russia, the northern border of its range reaches the southern part Leningrad region, to Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod regions, Tatarstan, Bashkiria, goes around the Ural Mountains in the south of the Orenburg region, then passes through the south of Siberia, approximately along the 56th parallel to the Amur Region, Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories. Outside of Russia, hoopoe is found throughout Eastern Europe from Poland to Greece, in Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. In Germany, hoopoes are found only in certain areas, occasionally they are found in the south of Sweden, in Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, the Netherlands and England. Also, hoopoe is widespread in Asia from Turkey to China, and in Africa (except for the desert zone). In 1975, hoopoes were first noticed in Alaska, in the Yukon Delta. Bram reports that once a hoopoe was obtained even in Svalbard.
In the north of its range, hoopoe is a migratory bird; it flies to Africa or India for the winter. In India, Indochina, Arabia and Africa, the hoopoe is a sedentary bird. In Europe, settled hoopoes are known only in the south of Spain and Portugal. During the flight, hoopoes can climb to great heights, overcoming the Himalayan mountains. Members of one of the expeditions that conquered Everest noticed hoopoes at an altitude of 6400 meters.
Hoopoes are much more common in the south, they are rare in the north. In Russia, hoopoe has been included in several regional Red Books, such as Lipetsk, Moscow, Tver, Kirov, Novosibirsk and Tomsk regions, as well as Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Udmurtia and the Republic of Mari El. Biologists believe that hoopoes began to settle in the north relatively late, when people began to reduce the northern forests to pastures and fields. Hoopoes love open spaces interspersed with forests and groves, do not avoid gardens and parks, and can nest in human buildings, although the best place for a hoopoe nest - a hollow tree.
The hoopoe is considered the only species of the hoopoe family ( Upupidae). Sometimes a subspecies of hoopoe living in Africa south of the equator is considered a separate species (Upupa africana). Another contender for status separate species- hoopoe from Madagascar (Upupa marginata). Once a special species of hoopoe lived on the island of St. Helena, but ornithologists discovered it only after its disappearance from partially fossilized (petrified) bone remains. In 1963, the British zoologist Philip Ashmole discovered a humerus that was clearly different from the bones of ordinary hoopoes. And in 1975, the famous bird paleontologist Storrs Olson obtained two funnel bones and the left femur of this bird. This is all that scientists got from this species. The hoopoe is believed to have disappeared shortly after the discovery of Saint Helena in 1502, when rats and cats entered. This species is called Saint Helena hoopoe or giant hoopoe (Upupa antaios).
Many peoples noted the characteristic cry of hoopoe - a dull “up-up-up” or “hoop-hoop-hoop”. By the cry of a bird given it Latin name- upupa, and ancient Greek - ἔποψ, their combination became official name hoopoe in biological nomenclature - Upupa epops. The onomatopoeic origin of the names of the Udod in many other languages: English Hoopoe, Arabic hes hes, Armenian հոպոպ, Catalan Puput, Chechen hӏuttet, Czech Dudek, Serbian and Croatian Pupavac, Georgian ოფოფი, Irrevian hәrevsky, Kurdish (Sorani) PEP. pupuķis, Lithuanian kukutis, Macedonian pupunets, Portuguese poupa, Romanian pupăză, Upper Lusatian hupak. In some cases, the onomatopoeic origin is somewhat obscured by changes that have occurred over the long history of the word, for example, the Spanish name for the hoopoe abubilla comes from the vernacular Latin diminutive form *upupella of the letters "hoopard", which in turn is derived from the Latin upupa.
As is often the case, people sought to hear something meaningful in the bird's cry. Russians most often perceived "hoop-hoop-hoop" hoopoe as the phrase "It's bad here!". And they considered it a bad omen (in some areas there was even a name for the hoopoe khudututka). However, the Chernigov peasants tried to listen more attentively. If it seemed to them that the hoopoe was shouting “It's bad here!”, The harvest will be bad, but if the cry “I'll be here!” Was heard, then they expected a rich harvest. In the south of Russia and Ukraine, it was believed that the cry of a hoopoe portends rain, hence another name for it in Ukrainian dialects - sloth, from the word slot "bad weather". In some regions of Ukraine, the hoopoe was called sinokos, as it was believed that he screams on the eve of haymaking time.
In 1959, the outstanding Greek director Karolos Kuhn once again staged Aristophanes' Birds. Hoopoe in this comedy is one of the main characters, the king of birds. The author of the text in modern Greek, the poet Vasilis Rotas, also decided to convey the cry of the hoopoe in verse. Hoopoe asks Rotas: “Πού, πού, πού, πού, πού, πού ναι αυτός που μας εκάλεσε; Πού, πού, πού, πού, σε ποιο μέρος βόσκει;…” —“Where, where, where, where, where is the one who called us? Where, where, where, where does he graze?
The second sign of the hoopoe, which is widely reflected in its names and the folklore associated with it, is the crest. According to the legend that existed in Volyn, the hoopoe was once the king of birds, but he wanted to become a bird god. God punished the hoopoe for this, endowing it with a forelock on its head and a disgusting smell (we will return to this feature of the hoopoe later). In the Caucasus, other legends were told about the appearance of the crest. They said that one day the father-in-law caught his daughter-in-law combing her hair. Out of shame that she was seen as bare-haired, the woman asked to be turned into a bird, and the comb remained stuck in her hair. Such a plot is known in the folklore of Azerbaijanis, Armenians and Rutulians.
Probably, the similarity of the tuft with a uniform headdress caused the appearance of one of the Turkish names for the hoopoe - çavuş kuşu "chavush bird". Historically, chavush was a fairly high command rank in the Sultan's Guard, and in the modern Turkish army it is a sergeant's rank. And to Croats, the crest of a hoopoe resembled a crown, so the name kruničar arose. The Persians have the name of the hoopoe šânebesar "comb on the head", and the Finns call it harjalintu "bird with a comb".
Thanks to the crest, the hoopoe looked like a rooster with its comb. The modern Greek name for the hoopoe, τσαλαπετεινός, came from the Turkish çali "bush" and πετεινός "rooster", so hoopoe is "bush rooster". Croats sometimes called the hoopoe božij kokotić "God's cock".
Slavs often associated hoopoe with representatives of other peoples. In many Slavic languages, hoopoe is called a foreign (Gypsy, Jewish, Moscow) rooster or a foreign cuckoo: Bulgarian Gypsy loop, Belarusian Zhydowska zazulya, Ukrainian Jewish (Jewish) zozulya, Ukrainian Moscow zozulya, Polish żydowska zozula. In the Stavropol Territory, the name Dutch cockerel was found. The Bulgarians also have the name Circassian.
In Poland, it was said that Jews brought hoopoe with them from other countries and that this bird calls in Hebrew. In the Lvov region, it was believed that the hoopoe pronounces the name of the Jews: “Yud-yud!”, And near Brest, in the cry of the hoopoe, they heard “Vus-vus-vus?” “What-what-what?” in Yiddish.
The cuckoo and the hoopoe are considered closely related species in many parts of the Slavic world. The Terek Cossacks even called the word cuckoo both birds. In Poland, it was often believed that hoopoe is a male cuckoo. Poles, Ukrainians, Czechs and Croats told stories about a married couple - a hoopoe and a cuckoo. The cuckoo asks her husband to buy her shoes or dresses (“Ku-pyt! Ku-pyt!”), But he does nothing, but only promises that he will fulfill everything soon (“I’ll bring it from-from-from!”).
Finally, another noticeable sign of hoopoe is the smell. In hoopoe chicks and in a female, during the period of incubation of eggs, the coccygeal gland produces a special black-brown liquid with a very bad smell. At the moment of danger, the bird can release a jet of this liquid, mixed with droppings, at the enemy. As a rule, this measure is enough to scare away a cat or weasel trying to destroy the nest.
The smell of hoopoe was well known to people, and this caused the appearance of a number of dialect names: Ukrainian smerdyukha, stinker, gidko, Serbian smrdul, smrdel. The main name of such a word became in the Slovenian language (smrdokavra). A number of folk signs were associated with the smell of hoopoe. So in the south of Russia it was believed that if you hold a hoopoe in your hands, the horse will not be given in your hands.
Perhaps because of the characteristic smell, the hoopoe was among the birds that were forbidden to be eaten by orthodox Jews (Deuteronomy 14:18, Leviticus 11:19). Although the Monk Ephraim the Syrian believed that the biblical should not be understood literally: “Hoopoe is an image of people who diligently engage in pagan teachings, diligently spend their nights reading malicious allegories and vile Hellenic narratives, and do not think about the world that the teaching of the Crucified gives.”
Another reason the hoopoe was declared non-kosher may have been the bird's craving for manure. Hoopoe feed on insects, and a pile of dung has always attracted a variety of flies and beetles, from where it was easy to get them with a curved beak resembling tweezers. Bram describes the habits of African hoopoes in this way: “Paying no attention to a person who is just about to give some prey to dung beetles and flies and bring into the light of God pieces of tapeworms, which, at least in Ethiopia, everyone suffers, the bird walks around well. familiar latrines."
There was a legend in Transcarpathia that explained the smell of hoopoe as a punishment for betraying the hiding Christ to the persecutors: “I sinned. Wine, if Christ was caught, and wine shouting: "Here-here-here." And Christ kazaў: "You will be stinking, like a dog."
Another story was told in Algiers. In it, the hoopoe was punished by King Solomon for wrongdoing. As if Solomon's beloved once asked him to build her a house from eggs. The king ordered all the birds and fish to bring eggs. Only Sparrow and Hoopoe did not do this. Solomon ordered the disobedient to be brought to him. Sparrow, appearing before the king, said that he did not dare to bring such a small egg to such a great king. Hoopoe, on the other hand, explained his delay by thinking about important questions: “Which is longer - night or day?”, “Who is more alive or dead?” men or women?" The hoopoe also reported on the results of his reflections. The day is longer than the night, because the light of the moon prolongs it. There are more living people, because they talk about the recently deceased and the great as if they were still alive. And there are more women than men, because a fool who demands to build a house from eggs is not a man.
A very strange story about the smell of hoopoe was told by the Berbers in southern Morocco. The hoopoe, they thought, was loving son. When his mother died, he could not bury her in the ground, but began to wear it on his head. As a result, the mother turned into his tuft, and the hoopoe got an unpleasant smell.
Hoopoes are a small group of birds from the order Hoopoe-like. In total, there are 10 species of these birds, among which there are ordinary hoopoe, often called simply hoopoe, and tree hoopoes. The latter, in turn, are divided into two genera - forest and saber-billed hoopoes. Relatives of all these species are hornbills and horned crows.
Common hoopoe (Upupa epops).
The appearance of the common hoopoe is very memorable, it is a small bird up to 28 cm long and weighing about 70 g. This bird is characterized by an oblong body, wings and tail of medium length, as well as a long, slightly curved, thin beak. The feathers on the hoopoe's head form a long movable crest, which the bird most often keeps folded. Tree hoopoes have the same dimensions and proportions, only their tail is much longer, and there is no crest on the head at all. In addition, in saber-billed hoopoes, the beak is much more curved than in other species. The color of the common hoopoe is very variegated: the main color of the body varies from yellowish-peach to orange, the wings and tail are streaked with transverse black and white stripes, the tips of the feathers in the crest are also black and white. The coloration of tree hoopoes is much more modest, dark tones predominate in their plumage - dark blue, purple, certain parts of the body (head, beak, paws) can be painted in bright colours. But the plumage of tree hoopoes often shimmers metallic sheen. Males and females of these birds are colored the same, only in tree hoopoes, males can differ from females in a longer and brighter beak.
The males of the purple forest hoopoe (Phoeniculus damarensis) have a red beak, while the females have a black one.
Hoopoes are heat-loving birds. All types of tree hoopoes live exclusively in Africa and lead a sedentary lifestyle. The common hoopoe has the most extensive range and has moved further north than its brethren. This bird lives throughout Eurasia, Africa (except the Sahara) and Madagascar. Hoopoes from the northern parts of the range for the winter fly away to spend the winter in its southern parts - in Africa, Transcaucasia, India, Burma, South China. It should be said that hoopoes avoid the northern and taiga regions, as well as regions with high humidity, so they are not found in the north of the temperate zone, in the extreme west of Europe, in the British Isles, in the Alps. In general, the favorite habitats of these birds are forest-steppes, savannas, sparse forests with edges, semi-deserts with shrubs and trees. Hoopoes do not settle in absolutely open areas, where there is nowhere to hide a nest, and in continuous forests, since they get food in open spaces.
The hoopoe flies up to the nest with food.
The spring arrival of hoopoes stretches from February to May (depending on the region), the autumn migration begins early - in August and can drag on until October. During flights, hoopoes do not form dense flocks and fly mainly at night or at dusk. In the southern parts of the range, settled hoopoes can also make small migrations in search of food. In normal times (not during flights), these birds are active only during daylight hours.
Hoopoes are solitary birds, most often they can be found singly or in pairs, tree hoopoes keep in flocks of 4-15 birds. Although these birds have a very noticeable coloration, encounters with them are not so frequent. They behave cautiously, they do not have a pronounced demonstrative behavior, they do not sing sonorous songs either. At the same time, the voice of the hoopoe is well audible, although not melodious, the sounds of his voice resemble “up-up-up” (even the Latin name of the European hoopoe sounds like “upupa epops”), the voices of tree hoopoes resemble chirping or laughter. Hoopoes do not arrange noisy fights between themselves and with other birds, and in general, they behave like peaceful and quiet residents. In those places where these birds are not disturbed, they willingly approach human habitation, are not afraid of the presence of a person, and even settle in its buildings. In thickets, hoopoes make short flights from tree to tree, can deftly climb trunks, and in open space move along the ground with quick steps.
The white-headed forest hoopoe (Phoeniculus bollei) is the only species that can gouge trees like a woodpecker in search of food.
These birds feed on insects and their larvae. The common hoopoe prefers to look for prey on the ground, or rather, in the ground, plunging its long beak into the ground and extracting the larvae from there like with tweezers. Tree hoopoes forage in bark crevices on tree trunks (common hoopoe can also use this method). In addition, these birds can hunt insects in the air and grass (especially they love locusts and grasshoppers), and on occasion they can catch a small lizard, scorpion, phalanx, frog. Hoopoes throw the caught prey up, catch it with their beak on the fly, and only then swallow it. Tree hoopoes can eat fruits and drink flower nectar.
Black-backed or crescent-shaped hoopoe (Rhinopomastus cyanomelas).
The hoopoe has made its nest in the masonry of the building.
Migratory hoopoes nest once a year, in the southern parts of the range in April, in the northern parts in June-July. Sedentary birds can nest up to three times a year. The number of eggs in the nests of tree hoopoes is 2-5; in the common hoopoe, their number can vary greatly in different years- from 3 to 12 (usually 5-7). Eggs can be white with an ocher or bluish coating (in the common hoopoe) or blue (in the tree hoopoe). Only the female incubates the clutch, and the male provides her with food. Sometimes at the end of incubation, the male can replace her for a short time. Incubation lasts 15-18 days.
A pair of cuckoo-tailed hoopoes near the nest.
Both parents feed the chicks for 22-28 days. Hoopoe chicks are covered with brownish fluff; when approaching the nest, they imitate a snake sitting in a hollow - they hiss and make sharp attacks towards the enemy. If this does not help, then the chicks can fire at the enemy with liquid droppings. The chicks that have flown out of the nest stay close to their parents for several weeks, who continue to feed them, and then stray into family groups and roam around.
A hoopoe feeds a grown chick.
In nature, hoopoes are hunted by birds of prey, small mammals, snakes can ruin their nests. In case of danger, hoopoes can hide in the grass in an unusual position: the bird spreads its wings, and raises its head so that its beak sticks up. Although the hoopoe is very noticeable in this position, but, apparently, such a position of the body and bright color dismember the silhouette of the bird, so the predator does not perceive it as prey. Females of tree hoopoes, incubating the masonry, hide on the nest so that they can be approached almost closely.
The hoopoe (Upupa epops) is a small and fairly brightly colored bird with a long narrow beak and a crest, sometimes wide open in the form of a fan. This species of birds belongs to the order Hornbills and the Hoopoe family (Upupidae).
Description of hoopoe
A small adult bird has a length of at least 25-29 cm with a standard wingspan of 44-48 cm. Due to its unusual appearance, hoopoe belongs to the category of the most easily recognizable birds.
Appearance
Representatives of the Hornbill order and the Hoopoe family are distinguished by the presence of a striped black and white plumage of the wings and tail, a long and rather thin beak, and a relatively long crest located in the head area. The color of the neck, head, and chest, depending on the subspecies, can vary from a pinkish tint to a brownish chestnut color.
Representatives of this species are distinguished by rather wide and rounded wings, very characteristically colored with contrasting whitish-yellow and black stripes. The tail is medium in length, black, with a wide white band in the middle. The belly area on the body is pinkish-red in color, with the presence of blackish longitudinal stripes on the sides.
It is interesting! During pagan times, the Chechens and Ingush considered hoopoes (“tushol-kotam”) to be sacred birds, symbolizing the goddess of fertility, spring and childbearing, Tusholi.
The crest in the head area has an orange-red color, with black feather tips. Usually, the crest of a bird is complex and has a length of 5-10 cm. However, in the process of landing, representatives of the Hornbill order and the Hoopoe family spread it up and like a fan. The beak of an adult bird is 4-5 cm long, slightly curved down.
The language, unlike so many other species of birds, is greatly reduced. The leg area is lead grey. The limbs of the bird are quite strong, with short metatarsus and blunt claws.
Lifestyle, behavior
On the surface of the earth, hoopoes move quickly and quite nimbly than they resemble. At the first signs of a sudden alarm, and also when the birds completely lack the opportunity to flee, such a bird is able to hide, nestling against the surface of the earth, spreading its tail and wings, and also lifting up the beak area.
At the stage of incubation of their offspring and feeding of chicks, adult birds and babies produce a specific oily liquid secreted by the coccygeal gland and has a sharp, very unpleasant odor. The release of such a liquid along with droppings is a kind of hoopoe protection from medium-sized terrestrial predators.
Just such salient feature birds allowed her to become a very "unclean" creature in the eyes of a person. In flight, hoopoes are slow, fluttering like butterflies. However, such a representative of the order Hornbill and the Hoopoe family is quite maneuverable in flight, due to which feathered predators very rarely manage to grab it in the air.
How long does a hoopoe live
The average life expectancy of a hoopoe, as a rule, does not exceed eight years.
sexual dimorphism
Male hoopoes and females of this species during appearance do not differ significantly from each other. Young birds belonging to the order Hornbill and the Hoopoe family, in general, have less saturated colors, are noticeably distinguished by a shorter beak, as well as a shortened crest.
Types of hoopoe
There are several subspecies of representatives of the Hornbill order and the Hoopoe family (Upupidae):
- Upupa epops epops, or Common Hoopoe, which is a nominative subspecies. It lives in Eurasia from the Atlantic and in the western part to the Scandinavian Peninsula, in the southern and central regions of Russia, in the Middle East, in Iran and Afghanistan, in the northwestern part of India and in the territory of northwestern China, as well as in the Canary Islands and in northwest Africa;
- the subspecies Upupa epops major is found in Egypt, northern Sudan and eastern Chad. Is on this moment the largest subspecies, has a longer beak, a grayish tint on the upper body and a narrow dressing strip in the tail area;
- Upupa epops senegalensis, or Senegalese hoopoe inhabits the territory of Algeria, arid belts of Africa from the territory of Senegal to Somalia and Ethiopia. This subspecies is the smallest form with relatively short wings and a significant amount of white on the secondary feathers;
- the subspecies Upupa epops waibeli is a typical inhabitant of Equatorial Africa from Cameroon and northern Zaire and west to Uganda. Representatives of the subspecies are very common in the eastern part of northern Kenya. Appearance reminiscent of U. e. senegalensis, but differs in darker tones in color;
- Upupa epops africana, or African hoopoe settles in Equatorial and South Africa from the central part of Zaire to the center of Kenya. Representatives of this subspecies have a dark red plumage, without the presence of white stripes on outside wing. In males, secondary wings are distinguished by a white base;
- Upupa epops marginata, or Madagascar hoopoe is a representative of the birds of northern, western and southern Madagascar. In size, such a bird is noticeably larger than the previous subspecies, and is also distinguished by the presence of paler plumage and very narrow white stripes located on the wings;
- the subspecies Upupa epops saturata inhabits Eurasia from the southern and central regions of Russia to the eastern part of the Japanese islands, southern and central China. The size of this nominative subspecies is not too large. Representatives of the subspecies are distinguished by a slightly grayish plumage in the back area, as well as the presence of a less pronounced pinkish tint in the belly area;
- the subspecies Upupa epops ceylonensis inhabits the area Central Asia south of Pakistan and northern India, in Sri Lanka. Representatives of this subspecies are smaller in size, generally have a more red color, and White color at the top of the tuft is completely absent;
- the subspecies Upupa epops longirostris inhabits the Indian state of Asom, Indochina and Bangladesh, eastern and southern China, and the Malay Peninsula. The bird is larger in size than the nominate subspecies. Compared to the appearance of U. e. ceylonensis is paler in color and has relatively narrow white wing bands.
It is interesting! The most ancient group of birds, similar to modern hoopoes, is considered to be the long-extinct family Messelirrisoridae.
Even caught adult hoopoes of any subspecies are able to quickly get used to a person and do not fly away from him, but fully feathered chicks take root best of all at home.
Range, habitats
The hoopoe is an old world bird. On the territory of Eurasia, the bird has become widespread throughout, but in the western and northern parts it practically does not nest in the British Isles, Scandinavia, the Benelux countries, as well as the highlands of the Alps. In the Baltic States and Germany, hoopoes are sporadically distributed. In the European part, representatives of the genus nest south of the Gulf of Finland, Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod and Yaroslavl regions, as well as the republics of Bashkortostan and Tatarstan.
In the western part of Siberia, birds rise to a level of 56 ° N. sh., reaching Achinsk and Tomsk, and in the eastern part of the range around Lake Baikal, the Yuzhno-Muysky ridge of Transbaikalia and the Amur River basin. On the territory of continental Asia, hoopoes live almost everywhere, but avoid desert areas and continuous forest areas. Also, representatives of the Hoopoe family are found in Taiwan, the Japanese Islands and Sri Lanka. In the southeastern part they settle on the Malay Peninsula. There are cases of infrequent flights to Sumatra and the island part of Kalimantan. In Africa, the main range is located south of the Sahara region, and in Madagascar, hoopoes live in the more arid western part.
As a rule, hoopoes settle on plains or in hilly areas, where preference is given to open landscapes in the absence of tall grass, combined with the presence of individual trees or small groves. The largest population reaches in arid and warm regions. Representatives of the family actively settle in steppe ravines and meadows, settle near the edge or on the forest edge, live in river valleys and foothills, in shrubby coastal dunes.
Quite often, Hoopoe are found in landscapes used by people, including various pastures, vineyards or fruit plantations. Sometimes birds settle in settlements, where they feed on waste from garbage dumps. Birds prefer to avoid damp and low-lying areas, and to create nests they use hollow old trees, crevices among stones, holes in river cliffs, termite mounds, as well as depressions in stone buildings. The hoopoe is active only during daylight hours, and for the night it goes to any shelters suitable for such purposes.
Hoopoe diet
The basis of hoopoe nutrition is represented mainly by a variety of small-sized invertebrates:
- larvae and pupae of insects;
- may beetles;
- dung beetles;
- dead eaters;
- grasshoppers;
- butterflies;
- steppe fillies;
- flies;
- ants;
- termites;
- spiders;
- woodlice;
- centipedes;
- small clams.
Sometimes adult hoopoes are able to catch small frogs, as well as lizards and even snakes. The bird feeds only on the surface of the earth, looking for its prey among low grass or on soil bare from vegetation. The owner of a fairly long beak often picks in dung and garbage heaps, seeks out food in rotten wood, or makes shallow holes in the ground.
It is interesting! Beetles that are too large in size are hollowed out by a hoopoe on the ground, broken into rather small pieces, and then eaten.
Quite often, representatives of the order Hornbill and the Hoopoe family accompany grazing livestock. The tongue of hoopoes is short, so such birds are sometimes simply not able to swallow prey directly from the ground. For this purpose, birds throw food into the air, after which they catch it and swallow it.
Folk signs about birds are very diverse - by observing the behavior of birds, you can learn not only about climate change but also about future events in your life.
Of the entire animal world, birds are most closely connected with the subtle world: they symbolize the spiritual essence, the relationship of heaven and earth, as well as the news that comes to us from the future.
City, wild and domestic birds can tell us a lot - you just need to connect your attention and intuition, deciphering their messages. Let's look at folk signs about birds in more detail and, perhaps, this knowledge will come in handy more than once in life.
wild birds
According to folk superstitions, a bird of prey hovering over your head for a long time warns of possible betrayal, deceit or treason. However, if you see an eagle flying over your head, rejoice, because you will soon reach your desired goal. A flock of wild birds flying towards you also portends good luck. It is considered a lucky omen to hear the nightingale sing - the business that you are thinking about at this time will be successful. If an owl or an owl got into the habit of screaming near the house, an addition is coming to your family soon.
Thanks to the "solar" plumage, the wagtail bird pleases us with its very appearance. Notice her somewhere (on a tree, on the roof, by the window) - to happy events, but if this bird is sick or dead - beware of rejoicing in seeming luck so as not to invite misfortune to yourself. The jay (sometimes called the mockingbird) is often associated with the "blue bird of happiness" - having appeared to you, it symbolizes the beginning of a new happy period of life. If a jay fumbles on your site for a long time without flying far, try to follow it and be careful: you may find lucky signs that open the door to a better life. Periodic hoopoe visits to your garden promise good luck, but if he built a nest in the yard or on the roof, be careful with finances (but don’t try to ruin the nest and drive the bird out - this will only increase possible losses).
poultry
Domestic birds are, most often, hens and roosters. It is believed that a rooster crowing right on the doorstep heralds the arrival of guests. If the hens are worried at night and cannot fall asleep in any way, quarrels and misunderstandings with neighbors are possible in the coming days. Domestic geese can warn of impending troubles. It is considered a bad omen if the goose lays two eggs at once, and also if the goose suddenly disappears from the yard (regardless of the reason for the disappearance).
There is also a popular superstition regarding all poultry: it is believed that the yard and house, on the poultry house of which there is at least one black bird, are reliably protected from the influence of evil spirits. Domestic birds often include decorative parrots living in a cage or just in an apartment. An interesting note is related to unexpected appearance you have this bird, if it flew into the apartment from nowhere. Consider this event a favor of fate - take good care of the exotic guest and your financial situation will soon improve.
city birds
Often in the city you can see swallows and swifts - a lot is also associated with them. popular superstitions. Highly good omen- if the swallow builds a nest near your window or under the roof of the house, but bad - if the bird suddenly leaves it. The first says that happiness accompanies your home, and the second - that for some reason you scared away luck. Almost any bird that flies out the window warns of imminent news, but negative superstitions are sometimes associated with swifts. Much depends on how exactly the bird flew in: if everything went well and the feathered guest soon flew away, expect good news, but if the bird rushed about and fought, alarming news would come (the thing is that swifts fly very fast, and therefore they break more often foretelling negative events).
If a magpie sat on the window to the patient, this means that it will not take long to recover. In addition, the magpie portends the imminent healing of the sick, vigorously jumping on the roof of the house, balcony or window sill. Crows are more often associated with bad omens, but we should not forget that these are just warnings. If a crow hovers over you for a long time and croaks loudly - get ready to meet with trouble; if a crow croaks at a church in your area, someone will die soon. A city dove will announce a particularly lucky day in your life, having swooped down on you or simply touched it with its wing: you can start any business - it will certainly turn out to be a success.
weather signs
There are a great many weather signs about birds, we will dwell on only a few of them. If you see a nest that a magpie has built very high on a tree, the next month will be clear and calm, and if the nest is low, you should expect inclement weather. If the crow screams a lot and at the same time walks with its mouth open all the time, it will rain. If a crow bathes in a snowdrift in winter, you should expect a cold snap, and in a puddle in the spring, get ready for inclement weather.
Swallows flying high promise good weather, and low - bad. If the swallows return to us very early in the spring, the weather will be favorable for the harvest all year round, and besides, the arrival of the swallows is a reason to expect the first spring thunderstorm. If sparrows hide their heads in their tails at the end of autumn, frosts can be expected, and if they swim in puddles, it will be warm. The nightingale, which displays its roulades all night, is a sign that it will be windy for the next few nights.
Event signs
Perhaps the most popular belief about birds concerns their habit of "bombarding" us with excrement. When receiving such a surprise, one can console oneself with a folk omen that a bird slanders people for good luck and cash profit(The bird droppings on your car also speak about the same). In addition, if a feathered benefactor marked your uniform or service clothes, this promises promotion career ladder. If a bird anxiously knocks on the glass of your window, there will be news and not the fact that it is good. Do not offend the messenger, but you should not let him inside the house either.
A separate sign concerns the birds that flew into the room and quietly hosted the house for some time. Most likely, this promises you guests - long-awaited or uninvited. The bird that entered the house through the door promises the same thing. Follow the behavior of the bird: if, when it sees you, it does not worry and soon flies out safely, the guests will be pleasant, and if the bird behaves irritably and inappropriately, the visit may turn out to be tense.
Signs about birds
if a bird knocks on the window - what is the sign and what to do (sparrow, dove and other birds)
A bird flew out the window - is it a good or bad omen?
negative omens
The worst signs are associated with the death of birds. Whether a bird crashed into a car, suffered from ventilation, or died due to other circumstances - this does not bode well. Shooting down a bird on the road is a serious warning and warning: you may be going through life in the wrong direction at all and this can end very sadly. In addition, a bird that crashed into the windshield of your car may have a more specific meaning - it is best to postpone this trip for now. The mass death of a bird in those places where it used to be found in abundance speaks of misfortunes on a large scale - they can apply to the entire district, city or country.
It is considered a negative sign to find a dead bird under your doorstep or in your yard. Having received such a sign, do not take risks and be careful in dealing with people, and the dead bird should be buried as soon as possible (in such cases they dig a hole away from home). If you found a dead bird just walking down the street, the sign will not have such a meaning, but anyway - be careful on this day, especially if, by accident, you had to step on a bird. If the bird you found was injured, but did not die, try to save it - the mercy shown can change future negative events. If, through your efforts, a wounded bird has returned to life, you can forget about bad omens(but even if she died, your efforts will not be in vain and will greatly facilitate future troubles).
At the cemetery
Since the bird symbolizes the human soul, its appearance in the cemetery has a corresponding meaning. See a bird near the grave of a deceased relative or loved one means to receive a message from him. If a bird flies and calmly sits on the fence, the deceased asks you to console yourself and announces his well-being. If you saw a bird fluttering anxiously back and forth and anxiously jumping all over the grave, as if looking for something, think about how you can help the deceased complete his earthly affairs. Perhaps a person during his lifetime asked you for something or simply shared his plans - try to remember which of his affairs you could bring to an end.
If a bird or a whole flock overtakes you on the way to the grave, be sure to follow the behavior of the birds. If you see that the bird is clearly worried (circling above you, flying forward and returning back, following on your heels or at some distance), this means that the soul of a deceased relative or friend warns you of danger. If at the same time the birds scream loudly, it means that you have already heard such warnings from living people, but did not heed them, and now the soul of the deceased is trying to “shout out” to you. Go to church and light a candle for the deceased relative, pray, think about him and mentally say "Thank you." In addition, next time you come to the cemetery, do not forget to bring a handful of cereal with you and leave it to the birds.
dreams
Our dreams are encrypted symbolic messages. And since the image of a bird is deeply symbolic, then the corresponding signs that you see in a dream can be trusted no less (and maybe more) than those seen in reality. If you dream that a poultry, like a chicken or a goose, has fallen into opened window or anxiously knocking on the closed glass - trouble can happen to one of your relatives. If you dreamed that a wild bird flew onto the windowsill - like a real case of this kind, this dream talks about the news, and for a woman who wants to have children, this news may relate to a long-awaited pregnancy.
Catch a bird with your hands and hold it in a dream - to receive a letter or unexpected news from afar. If in a dream you saw traces of bird feet (on the snow, sand, window sill, etc.) - some hidden movements of the soul will make themselves felt in the near future. Seeing in a dream a lot of various birds screaming in all voices - to soon participate in a crowded event (meeting, meeting, conference, etc.), and if a lot of birds gathered in your dream small size- in the near future you will receive a profit, but a small one. Catching falling birds is an attempt to find out news that is not intended for your ears. However, do not forget that for full transcript and interpretations of "bird" dreams, generally accepted interpretations should always be compared with the context of the dream and one's own associations.
Other signs
- Exist popular belief that a bird that got into a chimney or a chimney, and even ate a spider that settled there, warns of the imminent death of one of the household.
- If a bird of a new species has started up in your garden, expect new events this year, interesting discoveries and meeting new people.
- People say that counting migratory birds is undesirable - this can adversely affect a person's memory.
- Bird nests in your home are always good sign, wherever they are (on the roof, on the balcony, under the window, etc.). Birds intuitively feel what fate awaits a human dwelling and what atmosphere will reign in it. If the birds decide to share a house with you, it will not be threatened by natural disasters or negative energy in the near future.
- If a wild bird flew very close to you and even touched it with its wing, at the moment you are in a very harmonious state. Track your thoughts and actions in the past few days - perhaps you will find a personal secret of peace of mind and will use it all your life.
- It is considered a very good omen to satisfy the hunger of birds - when you come to the places where they live, do not forget to bring grains with you and feed the birds.
Hoopoe - Bird of the Year 2016
The Russian Bird Conservation Union chooses the bird of the year, guided by the following criteria: The bird should be widely distributed so that as many people as possible can participate in its study and protection;
It should be well recognizable so that not only ornithologists can easily identify it in nature;
The view should be such that everyone can provide concrete assistance in solving the problems of the bird of the year, for example, take part in population censuses, help solve a housing problem or protect habitats.
The hoopoe, chosen as the bird of the year 2016, meets all these requirements. This is one of the brightest and most memorable birds in our country.
Unusual contrasting color - dark and white stripes on the red plumage. On the head there is a magnificent crest - “Mohawk”, which the bird then folds on the back of the head, then unfolds in all its splendor. The male and female are colored almost the same, only the females are slightly less bright, and they do not have a pinkish coating on the chest.
Both the Russian and the Latin names of the bird (Upupa epops) are clearly onomatopoeic: the hoopoe's song is the deaf repeated sounds "upupa upup".
In our country, hoopoe - migrant. It usually appears at the end of April, and flies away for wintering at the end of summer or autumn. Outside of Russia, hoopoes nest in Europe, Central, South Asia and Southeast, Africa and Madagascar.
Depending on the geographic latitude, the bird can be sedentary, nomadic or migratory. Hoopoe is common only in the southern regions of our country. The closer to the northern border of the range, the lower its abundance. In a number of subjects of the Federation, the species is listed in the regional Red Books (for example, Lipetsk, Moscow, Tver, Kirov, Novosibirsk and Tomsk regions, the republics of Bashkortostan, Mari El, Tatarstan, Udmurtia).
In the list of the main limiting factors for this bird, experts name: a shortage of hollow trees, tough competitive pressure from starlings in the struggle for nesting sites, vulnerability at the boundaries of the range, suboptimal climatic conditions for the species in a significant part of the range, deterioration of habitat conditions on wintering grounds, a disturbance factor , destruction of nests by humans and domestic animals, development of territories suitable for nesting.
Problems Agriculture in recent decades, they have also contributed to the decline in the number of hoopoes. These bright birds disappear both in places of intensive agricultural activity, and where they cease to cultivate arable land, pastures and vegetable gardens ... Hoopoe often settles near human habitation. The favorite food of hoopoe is bears and their larvae. If you want to save your harvest, invite a hoopoe to guard your garden, build an artificial nest for it. The bird of the year will gladly settle in a birdhouse with an expanded entrance or nest box, but you can make a shelter for it from an old broken tree trunk or build a house out of several bricks.
BY THE WAY, The image of the hoopoe in poetry: "A crowned bird..." "The fire of the wing, motley expanses..." "Golden bird, fly, circle..." birds have chosen the hoopoe as their national bird. The hoopoe, which wears a natural crown on its head, is found in gardens and fields throughout the country.
Isn't it a funny picture?
Hoopoes are from the passerine family.
Hoopoe - as we know from the books for sure,
We will meet in the eastern hemisphere.
"Crown" of his crested head
Decorate the palace chambers
Patterned on old tapestries
Hung on the walls for the holidays.
Pityable nations,
Never met a hoopoe!
In Russia - the main species, "hoopoe is a wasteland",
In the south often wanders along the paths,
Pecks worms and various insects,
Sometimes - and in the beds near the house ...
In Chinese classical poetry, the hoopoe, revered as a model of beauty, often appears as a messenger of the gods, bringing news of the approach of spring. So now, since the hoopoe is the bird of the year of Russia - 2016, we can also congratulate ourselves on the eternal spring! Oh, what a graceful bird she is!
