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Awesome encounter with a Hoopoe family

You've gotta be lucky sometimes. Yesterday was one of those days. I had seen a Hoopoe landing in a field and flying back and fro for more than a quarter of an hour. It was obvious that they had a nest pretty close to where I stood. I was able to follow the bird flying away with the naked eye up in a palm tree.


This morning I decided to go back armed with my camera and tripod. The photos I took during the two hours I spent near the tree were simply breath-taking.




Hoopoe flying with a large insect in its bill
Hoopoe bringing in some large insect


Hoopoe stepping in the grass
The first bird I had noticed in the field a day earlier


Hoopoe in flight

It was a matter of only a few minutes before I saw the first bird bringing food to the nest. I soon found out that there were two birds, male and female of course. They came back to feed their young in the tree hollow with intervals of between five and ten minutes.




Hoopoe flying to a tree
One of the birds just before landing onto the nest


Hoopoe flying to a tree


At first the birds seemed to be a bit wary of my presence and perched on a branch of a nearby tree before landing on the palm tree, but after a few approaches they realized I didn't present any danger and they flew straight into the hole . They spent around fifteen seconds feeding the young before launching themselves back into the air, in search of more food in the surrounding fields.




Hoopoe on the bark of a tree with an insect in its bill


Hoopoe on the bark of a tree with an insect in its bill



Hoopoe jumping off a tree
Out on another sortie …


Hoopoe flying with an insect in its bill
… and back with a tasty snack





Hoopoe in flight














Hoopoes lay from four to seven eggs. The female alone incubates them for fourteen to sixteen days. In the first week after hatching, the male goes hunting for food and after that also the female gets involved in feeding the young. I don't know how many birds were inside the tree hollow, but as both parents were bringing food, they must have been at least a week old. The young fledge at the age of 26 to 29 days.



Is that a smile?

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