Hoopoe
The Hoopoe is a beautiful and distinctively patterned bird that is commonly found throughout Asia, Africa and much of Europe. It’s body is colored a pinkish-brown, the wings decorated with zebra- like black and white stripes, and atop it’s head is a regal orange crest capped with black ends that raises when it becomes excited.
As handsome as it appears, the Hoopoe interestingly enough has a rather unappealing attribute to it- during mating season, the females secrete a thick brown liquid that smells like rotting meat. She coats herself with this goo, and when eggs are laid, covers them with it as well. Besides acting as a waterproofing agent, this secretion also contains a bacteria that protects the eggs from disease as they incubate.
The Hoopoe appears in various mythologies as well as major religious books including the Bible, the Torah and the Quoran. They were considered sacred in Ancient Egypt, and on a more contemporary note, they were voted as the national bird of Israel.
As handsome as it appears, the Hoopoe interestingly enough has a rather unappealing attribute to it- during mating season, the females secrete a thick brown liquid that smells like rotting meat. She coats herself with this goo, and when eggs are laid, covers them with it as well. Besides acting as a waterproofing agent, this secretion also contains a bacteria that protects the eggs from disease as they incubate.
The Hoopoe appears in various mythologies as well as major religious books including the Bible, the Torah and the Quoran. They were considered sacred in Ancient Egypt, and on a more contemporary note, they were voted as the national bird of Israel.