Eurasian Hoopoe

Utterly unmistakable orange bird with a zebra-striped wings, a Chinese fan of a crest (usually held closed, but often raised just after landing), and a rapier of a bill. Favors semiopen habitats such as heathland, farmland, orchards, grassy lawns, where it feeds on the ground, probing with its long bill for insects. Flight fast and fairly direct, with rather deep wingbeats. Unlikely to be confused, but flight pattern and round wings may loosely resemble that of woodpeckers; note far longer and thinner bill. Song is a distinctive “hoopoopoo.”

The Eurasian hoopoe in Sri Lanka lives in dry lowlands and hills. They prefer open areas with sandy soil, such as grasslands, lawns, and pastures. They also need vertical surfaces with cavities for nesting, such as trees, cliffs, or walls.

In Sri Lanka, the Eurasian Hoopoe primarily feeds on a diet of insects like crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, and larvae, which it finds by probing the ground with its long bill; this includes mainly Orthoptera (crickets, grasshoppers), Coleoptera (beetles), and Lepidoptera (moth larvae) - similar to its diet across its broader range, though specific insect species may vary based on local availability.