Sounds and Vocal Behavior

The Eurasian Hoopoe is best known for its song, which is given only by the male. The song can be rendered a number of ways, all of which involve phrases that are something akin to "hoop-hoop-hoop." Calls are highly variable and depend on the circumstance involved.

Development

Chicks hatch giving a faint mouse-like squeaking, which becomes a louder "cheeping" or "piping" as they grow older, sometimes followed by a soft "bark" (21 Skead, C. J. (1950). A study of the African Hoopoe. Ibis 92:434–463. Close , 1 Cramp, S., Editor (1985). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume 4. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ) . Chicks also have a sweet-sweet-sweet hunger call that is replaced by a loud, scratchy and squeaky note "rather like a recalcitrant cork being drawn from a bottle" when an adult approaches a chick with a food item (21 Skead, C. J. (1950). A study of the African Hoopoe. Ibis 92:434–463. Close , 1 Cramp, S., Editor (1985). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume 4. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ).

Vocal Array

Songs

The song of Eurasian and African subspecies are considered identical and can be heard up to 1.5 km away (21 Skead, C. J. (1950). A study of the African Hoopoe. Ibis 92:434–463. Close , 2 Fry, C. H., S. Keith, and E. K. Urban, Editors (1988). The Birds of Africa. Volume 3. Parrots to Woodpeckers. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ). It is a low-pitched oo-oo-oo (also rendered as hoop-hoop-hoop, hud-hud-hud, uup-uup-uup, etc.) that is uttered frequently and often persistently, for minutes on end; a phrase consists of 2–4 notes, with three being typical (1 Cramp, S., Editor (1985). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume 4. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close , 4 Rasmussen, P. C., and J. C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Volumes 1 and 2. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA. Close ) . The song may be accompanied by a very harsh, downslurred hissing note, which may become an irregular series, and can be given independently (4 Rasmussen, P. C., and J. C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Volumes 1 and 2. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA. Close ). This is likely the "swizzle" call describe by Skead (21 Skead, C. J. (1950). A study of the African Hoopoe. Ibis 92:434–463. Close ) from South Africa, and it indicates a highly excited state; it is most often given by males but by females as well, and has been described as a slurred swizzle-swizzle-swizzle followed by a distinct chwrrchwrr, the overall affect of which is "rather like the sound of a carving knife being sharpened on a steel" (21 Skead, C. J. (1950). A study of the African Hoopoe. Ibis 92:434–463. Close ). The song is produced only by the male and is used both to attract females and in mate defense (141 Martín-Vivaldi, M., J. J. Palomino, and M. Soler (1999). Function of song in the Hoopoe Upupa epops. Bird Study 46(1):104–111. Close ). The loudness and frequency of songs seem dependent on the proximity of the nearest territory as well as season (21 Skead, C. J. (1950). A study of the African Hoopoe. Ibis 92:434–463. Close ).

Calls

The "Rattling Call" is given by both sexes and indicates a lesser degree of excitement than does the "swizzle" call; it is uttered during chases, sometimes followed by a quiet hoop-hoop or hoop-hoop-hoop, and is sometimes given by the male when courtship feeding the female (21 Skead, C. J. (1950). A study of the African Hoopoe. Ibis 92:434–463. Close ). The Rattling Call is often accompanied by a raising or lowering of the crest, and it is typically quieter when given by a female (21 Skead, C. J. (1950). A study of the African Hoopoe. Ibis 92:434–463. Close ). Males also produce a rolling, throaty choorie, choorie, choorie... when proffering food to their mate or young, the intensity of which is increased during courtship feeding (21 Skead, C. J. (1950). A study of the African Hoopoe. Ibis 92:434–463. Close , 1 Cramp, S., Editor (1985). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume 4. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Both sexes also give a chwrr or schrää call (a note sometimes incorporated into the "swizzle" call), which seems to serve several purposes, including expressing curiosity, annoyance, or apprehension; when given in the presence of looming danger, it is deeper and more abrupt (21 Skead, C. J. (1950). A study of the African Hoopoe. Ibis 92:434–463. Close , 121 Löhrl, H. (1977). Zum Brutverhalten des Wiedehopfes Upupa epops. Die Vogelwelt 98(2):41–58. Close , 142 Bergmann, H. H., and H. W. Helb (1982). Stimmen der Vögel Europas: Gesänge und Rufe von über 400 Vogelarten in mehr als 2000 Sonagrammen. BLV Verlagsgesellschaft, Munich, Vienna & Zurich. In German. Close ). A single, quiet, and somewhat scratchy huk is sometimes given when birds are disturbed while feeding or when flying to a roost (21 Skead, C. J. (1950). A study of the African Hoopoe. Ibis 92:434–463. Close ). Females will sometimes make a huffing noise, "like a puff-adder," when disturbed in the nest hole, a call which apparently is intended to intimidate (21 Skead, C. J. (1950). A study of the African Hoopoe. Ibis 92:434–463. Close ). There are several recordings in Macaulay Library of an adult Eurasian Hoopoe giving a high-pitched sweeeeit call; its meaning is unclear and it may be a single "swizzle" call note infrequently repeated .

Geographic Variation

Apparently, none (2 Fry, C. H., S. Keith, and E. K. Urban, Editors (1988). The Birds of Africa. Volume 3. Parrots to Woodpeckers. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ).

Phenology

In South Africa's Cape Province, the Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops africana) is nearly silent from January into mid-March but then is quite vocal from mid-April until breeding starts in August; singing is most pronounced immediately before breeding, which is around the end of July (21 Skead, C. J. (1950). A study of the African Hoopoe. Ibis 92:434–463. Close ). In Europe, singing starts upon, or shortly after, the first birds return in spring (21 Skead, C. J. (1950). A study of the African Hoopoe. Ibis 92:434–463. Close , 130 Hirschfeld, H., and K. Hirschfeld (1973). Zur Brut- und Ernährungsbiologie des Wiedehopfes, Upupa epops L., unter Berücksichtigung seiner Verhaltensweisen. Beiträge zur Vogelkunde 19(2–3):81–152. Close , 1 Cramp, S., Editor (1985). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume 4. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ; see Timing and Routes of Migration), with peak singing continuing until completion of nest building and then declining sharply after young hatch (5 Glutz von Blotzheim, U. N., and K. M. Bauer (1980). Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas. Band 9 Columbiformes-Piciformes. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Wiesbaden, Germany. Close , 1 Cramp, S., Editor (1985). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume 4. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ).

Places of Vocalizing

Males typically sing from an elevated and exposed perch (21 Skead, C. J. (1950). A study of the African Hoopoe. Ibis 92:434–463. Close , 1 Cramp, S., Editor (1985). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume 4. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ).

Sex Differences

Only males sing. See Calls above for further information.

Repertoire and Delivery of Songs

Studies in Spain show that strophe (phrase) length is the main song feature differing between individual males: during the pre-laying period each male mainly uses strophes of just two lengths, but some males change their range of strophe types and decrease their mean strophe length after unsuccessful breeding or after long periods of singing without attracting a mate (143 Martín-Vivaldi, M., J. J. Palomino, and M. Soler (1998). Song structure in the Hoopoe (Upupa epops). Strophe length reflects male condition. [Struktur des Gesangs des Wiedehopfes (Upupa epops). Strophenlänge reflektiert Männchen-qualität]. Journal of Ornithology 139(3):287–296. Close ). It is probable that singing long strophes is energetically more costly than singing short ones (143 Martín-Vivaldi, M., J. J. Palomino, and M. Soler (1998). Song structure in the Hoopoe (Upupa epops). Strophe length reflects male condition. [Struktur des Gesangs des Wiedehopfes (Upupa epops). Strophenlänge reflektiert Männchen-qualität]. Journal of Ornithology 139(3):287–296. Close ), but it appears that strophe length affects a male's ability to attract a female (144 Martín-Vivaldi, M., J. J. Palomino, and M. Soler (2000). Attraction of Hoopoe (Upupa epops) females and males by means of field song playback: influence of strophe length. Journal of Avian Biology 31(3):351–359. Close ). Females paired with males that are singing longer strophes lay their first clutch earlier, produce larger first clutches, and are more likely to lay second clutches after a successful first one than those paired with males singing shorter strophes; additionally, males with long strophes produce more fledglings in their first clutch and over the entire season, partly because they provide more food for their chicks than males with short strophes (145 Martín-Vivaldi, M., J. J. Palomino, M. Soler, and J. G. Martínez (1999). Song strophe-length and reproductive success in a non-passerine bird, the Hoopoe Upupa epops. Ibis 141(4):670–679. Close ).

Social Context and Presumed Functions of Vocalizations

See Songs and Calls above.

More information needed.