THE ANIMAL FILES

Common hoopoe

Upupa epops

A long bill can open while it is already inside the soil.

The common hoopoe probes the ground for insects with a long slender bill. Strong head muscles allow the bill to open during a probe, helping extract food hidden below the surface.[1]

Follow the evidence ↓
Common hoopoe
Image: Keta · Commons · CC BY-SA 2.5
Main food
Insects[1]
Foraging
Usually walking and probing on the ground[1]
Nest
A narrow-entranced cavity[1]

Walk, pause, probe

A foraging bird walks over open ground and pauses to insert the bill. Larvae, pupae and other insects can be extracted or dug out with help from the feet. Surface insects and leaf-litter prey are also taken.[1]

Preparing a larger catch

Large insects may be beaten against the ground or a stone before swallowing. This can remove difficult parts such as wings and legs. Capturing and preparing food are separate parts of the feeding sequence.[1]

A hidden nest with changing roles

Nests occupy holes in trees or walls. The female incubates while the male brings food; later both parents provision the young. The timing of those roles changes as eggs become growing chicks.[1]

A COMMON MIX-UP

Does the thin bill only pick food from the surface?

No. It probes below the surface and can open within the soil to help extract prey.[1]

TRY A LITTLE REASONING

Why separate prey capture from prey preparation?

Reveal the explanation

A large insect may need beating and removal of parts before it can be swallowed, even after it has been caught.[1]

Sources & editorial notes

Adapted and translated from the cited Wikipedia revisions, with source-linked reasoning. Image credit and licence are listed separately above.

Adapted and translated from Wikipedia contributors; exact revisions are linked below. CC BY-SA 4.0

  1. Wikipedia contributors — Common hoopoe (fixed revision; adapted and translated)
  2. NCBI Taxonomy — Upupa epops (identity and classification)

Last fact check:

One discovery leads to another

Pileated woodpeckerA tree can be a feeding site, a drum and a future home.Dryocopus pileatus ↗Toco toucanA toucan’s bill can shed heat as well as handle food.Ramphastos toco ↗Andean condorA huge bird can travel on rising air.Vultur gryphus ↗