🐦 Meet the Hoopoe (Upupa epops)🐦

The Hoopoe (Upupa epops) is a medium-sized bird with a long, thin, slightly curved bill & very striking plumage. It has a cinnamon-brown body, black-&-white striped wings & tail & a distinctive crest of feathers on its head that can be raised or lowered as a warning when threatened.

The hoopoe is the national bird of Israel, declared offiially in May 2008 after a national public vote was held for the country's 60th anniversary.
It is mentioned in the Torah & is featured in a well-known legend where it carried King Solomon's message to the Queen of Sheba leading to an exchange of gifts.

The Hoopoe is found widely throughout Israel, especially in open countryside, orchards & olive groves, preferring places with bare or lightly vegetated ground for foraging, plus vertical surfaces, tree cavities crevices or walls for nesting, where it lays 4-7 eggs - with both parents sharing in the feeding of the chicks.

It eats insects (beetles, larvae, ants, etc.), plus some small reptiles or invertebrates, using its bill to probe into soil or bark, digging out prey.


#TouringIsrael
#ImagineIsraelTours
#SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael
#VisitIsrael
#TourGuideIsrael
#IsraelTourism
#WildlifeIsrael
#BirdingIsrael
#Hoopoe
#floraandfauna

At Imagine Israel Tours we love to notice not just the big moments of history, but also the small details of nature that make Israel unique

I’m a licensed tour guide with experience driving & guiding all over Israel in a comfortable 7-seater vehicle & I’m an accredited tour guide for Israel’s National Parks.

I’ve also been certified as the Amazon Tour Guide for online virtual tours in the North of Israel - as well as being a guide for cruise ship passengers coming into Haifa & Ashdod.

My price includes collection from and return to your location, snacks, water & a unique souvenir of your tour.

My TripAdvisor reviews https://shorturl.at/aIR47

Please don't hesitate to be in touch imagineisrael8@gmail.com, or by phone/WhatsApp +972 54 2390412 if I can help plan your visit