Birds of the Indian Hills 



cloudy, on a boulder in mid-stream, whence it 

 dives into the water after its quarry. Some- 

 times, kestrel-like, it hovers in the air on 

 rapidly-vibrating pinions until it espies a fish in 

 the water below, when it closes its wings and 

 drops with a splash in the water, to emerge 

 with a silvery object in its bill. 



THE UPUPID^ OR HOOPOE FAMILY 



The unique hoopoe {Upupa epofs) next 

 demands our attention. This is a bird about 

 the size of a myna. The wings and tail are 

 boldly marked with alternate bands of black 

 and white. The remainder of the plumage is 

 of a fawn colour. The bill is long and slender, 

 like that of a snipe, but slightly curved. The 

 crest is the feature that distinguishes the 

 hoopoe from all other birds. This opens and 

 closes like a lady's fan. Normally it remains 

 closed, but when the bird is startled, and at 

 the moment when the hoopoe alights on the 

 ground, the crest opens to form a magnificent 

 corona. Hoopoes seek their food on grass- 

 covered land, digging insects out of the earth 

 with their long, pick-like bills. They are very 



partial to a dust-bath. During the breeding 



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