Himalayan and Kashmiri Birds 



Hoopoes 



Hoopoes are birds that feed on the ground, 

 into which they probe with their long, slender, 

 slightly- curved bills. The crest is conspicuous. 

 When folded it looks like a backward continua- 

 tion of the bill. When a hoopoe is disturbed, 

 and invariably when the bird alights, the crest 

 is expanded like a fan. 



129. Upupa epops : The European Hoopoe. 

 F. 1066, J. 254, HI. E. W. K. 



Body plumage sand-coloured or pale fawn. 

 Crest reddish- fawn with black tips to feathers. 

 There is also some white in the crest. Wings 

 and tail white with very bold black bars. Legs 

 short. On the wing this bird looks like a huge 

 black-and-white butterfly. A bird that cannot 

 be mistaken for any other. 



It is fairly common in the Kashmir valley 

 and at Almora. Simla is the only other hill 

 station at which I have noticed it. 



Swifts 



Swifts are birds which never descend to the 

 ground or perch in trees. Their claws are 

 so arranged that they cannot support them- 

 selves on a perch. When they require rest, 



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