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The Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops) is a very striking member of the family Upupidae which is in the genus Upupa. It derives its English name from its distinctive
call. It
occurs in Europe, Asia and North Africa where it is predominantly a
summer resident
which winters in sub Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. It is absent from
the northern parts of Eurasia. Southern populations, including those on the Balearic Islands, are sedentary. Formerly considered a single species, the Hoopoe has now been
split into three species, the African Hoopoe (Upupa africana), the Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops) and the
Madagascan Hoopoe (U. marginata).
A fourth species the Saint Helena Hoopoe (U. antaios), now
extinct, occurred on Saint Helena Island.
Text © Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds
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