| Hoopoe | |
|---|---|
| |
| Eurasian hoopoe Madrid, Spain | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Bucerotiformes |
| Family: | Upupidae Leach, 1819[1][2] |
| Genus: | Upupa Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Type species | |
| Upupa epops (Eurasian hoopoe) Linnaeus, 1758
| |
| Species | |
Hoopoes (/ˈhuːpuː, ˈhuːpoʊ/) are colourful birds found across Africa, Asia, and Europe, notable for their distinctive "crown" of feathers which can be raised or lowered at will. Three living and one extinct species are recognized, though for many years all of the extant species were lumped as a single species—Upupa epops. In fact, some taxonomists still consider all three species conspecific. Some authorities also keep the African and Eurasian hoopoe together but split the Madagascar hoopoe. The Eurasian hoopoe is common in its range and has a large population, so it is evaluated as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. However, their numbers are declining in Western Europe.[3] Conversely, the hoopoe has been increasing in numbers at the tip of the South Sinai, Sharm el-Sheikh. There are dozens of nesting pairs that remain resident all year round.
- ^ Leach, William Elford (1819). "Eleventh Room". Synopsis of the Contents of the British Museum (15th ed.). London: British Museum. pp. 63–68 [65]. Although the name of the author is not specified in the document, Leach was the Keeper of Zoology at the time.
- ^ Bock, Walter J. (1994). History and Nomenclature of Avian Family-Group Names. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. Vol. 222. New York: American Museum of Natural History. pp. 146, 245. hdl:2246/830.
- ^ "Hoopoe Bird (Upupa epops) - Fun Facts with Pictures - Birds Fact". 2022-02-14. Retrieved 2022-02-16.