Birds
Eurasian Hoopoe
Upupa epops · Pupăză
A pinkish-brown bird with a striking crest and bold black-and-white wings, often heard before it is seen.
At a glance
- Status in Romania
- Summer visitor
- Habitat
- Meadow
- Activity
- Daytime
- Diet
- Insects and larvae probed from the ground with its long bill.
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)
- Photography difficulty
- Moderate
Identification
Orange-pink body, long curved bill, black-and-white barred wings and a fan-shaped crest raised when excited.
Habitat
Open country with short grass or bare ground and scattered trees: orchards, pastures, vineyards.
Distribution
Widespread across Europe, Asia and Africa. A summer visitor to Romania.
Approximate range in Romania
When it is active
Daytime
Diet
Insects and larvae probed from the ground with its long bill.
Behaviour
Feeds on the ground and flies with a slow, butterfly-like flight. Its call is a soft repeated 'oop-oop-oop'.
Seasonality in Romania
SOR records arrival from mid-March and departure in September.
- JanUnknown
- FebUnknown
- MarPresent
- AprPresentMigration*
- MayPresentBreeding*
- JunPresentBreeding*
- JulPresentBreeding*
- AugPresentBreeding*
- SepPresentMigration*
- OctUnknown
- NovUnknown
- DecUnknown
Source-verified months inform the seasonal filters. Local timing can vary. Unconfirmed months do not imply absence. * Event timing retained from the earlier entry, not yet source-verified.
Breeding
Nests in holes in trees, walls or banks.
How to find it
Listen for the call in orchards and grazed pastures from spring to late summer.
Photography
General guidance based on the species’ behaviour, not a report of Nick’s personal field experience.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Ethics
- Never wait near the nest hole.
Practical starting points, not fixed rules.