The Hoopoe (Upupa epops) is a widely distributed bird species recognized across Europe, Asia, and Africa for its striking fan-shaped crest and distinct coloration. This medium-sized bird spends much of its time on the ground, where its unique feeding habits are on full display. The Hoopoe is predominantly insectivorous, focusing on invertebrates. This focus drives its specialized foraging behavior and habitat selection.
Primary Dietary Staples
The Hoopoe primarily eats invertebrates found on or just beneath the soil surface. This includes a substantial intake of insect larvae and pupae, which provide concentrated nutritional value. Common prey items include beetle grubs, moth caterpillars, and the nymphs of mole crickets, which are an important food source in many regions.
They also consume a wide variety of adult terrestrial insects such as crickets, locusts, earwigs, cicadas, and ants. While they can manage large prey, up to 150 millimeters in length, they prefer creatures in the 20 to 30-millimeter range. This focus on soil-dwelling insects makes the Hoopoe a significant contributor to local ecosystem control of agricultural pests.
Specialized Foraging Methods
The Hoopoe relies on its long, slender, and slightly down-curved bill for specialized foraging. The bird forages alone, walking across open ground with a characteristic stride, pausing frequently to survey the area. It uses its bill as a sophisticated tool, probing deep into soft soil, sand, and manure to detect hidden prey.
The strengthened musculature of the Hoopoe’s head allows it to open its bill slightly when fully inserted into the substrate, helping it grasp and extract buried invertebrates. They also use the bill to pry under stones, flakes of bark, and leaf litter to expose insects. Once captured, larger prey items are beaten repeatedly against a hard surface to kill them and remove indigestible parts like legs or wings before swallowing.
Diet Variation and Nestling Needs
Although the Hoopoe’s diet is dominated by insects, they are opportunistic feeders and will take other items when invertebrates are scarce. This variation may include small vertebrates like lizards and frogs, or occasional consumption of plant matter such as seeds and berries. The composition of the diet can shift geographically, with local abundance determining the main prey item; for example, mole crickets are primary in some European plains, while cicada nymphs dominate in certain Mediterranean areas.
Growing nestlings have high nutritional demands, necessitating specific food delivered by parent birds. Chicks require large, soft-bodied items to support their rapid development. Studies confirm that insect larvae constitute a very high percentage of the nestling diet, sometimes over 80 percent of items provisioned. Parents adjust their foraging to ensure a consistent supply of these high-energy food items for their young.