Italian bird- the Ho

THE HOOPOE by Jonathan Radford, garden designer A Gem of Italian garden birds If you were lucky enough to have noticed a qwerky orange/pink, unusual looking bird with a striking crest on its head while visiting Italy then you had probably seen the Hoopoe, a stunning migratory visitor to Italy. The Hoopoe is quite an unmistakeable bird, it has bright orange plumage, it flies rather like a woodpecker and has a striking orange crest, black an white markings along with a long, slender and pointed beak. The Hoopoe can generally be seen on Italian garden lawns strutting comically, searching for worms and other small insects which are its favourite food. The Hoopoe is a relative of the kingfisher family and is a frequent summer visitor to the Mediterranean, migrating to the tropics in winter. The Hoopoes bright colours, sweeping flight pattern and orange crest make it a striking feature to the Italian garden. The Hoopoes crest can be raised when the bird is alerted and makes for an unusual spectacle in Italian gardens during the spring and summer. hoopoes nest in old woodpecker holes trees or in old walls etc. After taking over the hole it lines the nest in faeces in order to put off predators. It is also capable of literally spraying liquid faeces at any intruders to its nest. This earned the bird the label off being a dirty bird and even the New Testament referred to it as such. In fact the Hoopoe has appeared throughout history and it has even featured in ancient Greek mythology. Thereus, the son of Ares (the God of war) was turned into a Hoopoe after he committed suicide. The Hoopoes call is what has given the bird its name, as it makes a Hoo - poo sound and the Hoopoes call symbolizes the arrival of spring in Italy. Curiously, even the Chinese regard the bird as being a messenger of springtime. In Islam the Hoopoe has close links with King Solomon, who reputedly spoke with animals and the French call ignorant, unintelligent people "Hoopoes" as they consider the bird to be slightly stupid. The Hoopoe has just recently become the national bird of Israel- curious! The Hoopoe can easily be encouraged into the Italian garden by avoiding the use of pesticides and by providing large expanses of organic wild flower meadow, in which they can forage for food undetected. Small areas of short grass should also be provided as they require these for hunting worms and insects. A natural, ecological and balanced Italian garden will provide all that this jewel of the Italian garden requires! by ecologica CONTACT ECOLOGICA HERE FOR AN ORGANIC, ECOLOGICAL ITALIAN BIRD GARDEN