Common Hoopoe

Common Hoopoe (Upupa epops) is a warm buff bird with boldly barred black-and-white wings, a long downcurved bill and a fan-shaped crest that can be raised. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It feeds on insects and other invertebrates by probing bare or lightly vegetated ground, and nests in holes in trees, rocks or buildings across open country and settled landscapes. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).