African Hoopoe Upupa africana
Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 2:18 am
FREAKIN' Hoopoe !...
I have a silly story about the first time I ever saw one of these birds…
It was in Ngorongoro Crater and we had a game driver. I had been collecting butterflies and insects in Kakamega Forest with a group of entomologists, and my SO met me after that expedition ended, and we headed off to Tanzania on our first ever duo visit to the African continent.
Not being familiar with the African pronunciations of words as well as word accentuations, and throwing into the mix that we are from the deep South (oxymoron), we came across this gorgeous bird and asked what it was.
What OUR ears heard was: " A FREAKIN' Hoopoe".
Well, we didn't know why the driver had such disdain for this bird. What horrific acts could it be guilty of? Does it use that elongate bill to poke the eyes out of innocent babies and small puppies? Or, even more heinous, use it to slurp up all your beer when your back is turned?
Upon our return home, I looked up the bird and saw, to my surprise, it was an AFRICAN Hoopoe.
Never mind.
Naturally, every time we now see one we both exclaim simultaneously, " It's a FREAKIN' Hoopoe !"
I have a silly story about the first time I ever saw one of these birds…
It was in Ngorongoro Crater and we had a game driver. I had been collecting butterflies and insects in Kakamega Forest with a group of entomologists, and my SO met me after that expedition ended, and we headed off to Tanzania on our first ever duo visit to the African continent.
Not being familiar with the African pronunciations of words as well as word accentuations, and throwing into the mix that we are from the deep South (oxymoron), we came across this gorgeous bird and asked what it was.
What OUR ears heard was: " A FREAKIN' Hoopoe".
Well, we didn't know why the driver had such disdain for this bird. What horrific acts could it be guilty of? Does it use that elongate bill to poke the eyes out of innocent babies and small puppies? Or, even more heinous, use it to slurp up all your beer when your back is turned?
Upon our return home, I looked up the bird and saw, to my surprise, it was an AFRICAN Hoopoe.
Never mind.
Naturally, every time we now see one we both exclaim simultaneously, " It's a FREAKIN' Hoopoe !"