The Hoopoes, 123 Hoopoes are ground-feeding birds, characterised by their long slightly curved bill and conspicuous crest, which ordinarily projects from the back of the head and looks like a backward continuation of the beak.
Hoopoes nest in holes in trees or in the walls of buildings.
And all the hoopoeshad golden crowns; and they were exceeding proud and haughty.
Now it fell out that there was a flock of hoopoesflying past; and the king cried out to them, and said, "O hoopoes!
And the words of the queen and the princesses her daughters prevailed; and the king of the hoopoes presented himself before the throne of Solomon, and desired of him that all hoopoes should wear golden crowns upon their heads.
Not a hoopoe could show its head but it was slain or taken captive, and the days of the hoopoeswere numbered.
So the hoopoes gathered together, and, flying in a cloud over the throne of the king, they sheltered him from the rays of the sun.
So the king of the hoopoes left the presence of King Solomon, with a golden crown upon his head.
The spring flowers, including the delicate cyclamens, were now in full bloom, the hoopoes and storks had arrived, and Palestine was at its best.
In the olive-groves the hoopoes were strutting with their crests lifted, on the rocks the gazelles now and then bounded past, or a stray jackal was to be seen gazing from a safe distance.
Then the kindly Hoopoes assembled, and flew in close mass above his head, thus forming a shade under which he proceeded on his journey in ease and comfort.
Then the King of the Hoopoes answered that nothing could be more glorious than the golden crown of King Solomon; and so Solomon decreed that the Hoopoes should thenceforward wear golden crowns as a mark of his favour.
The Hoopoes are easily recognised from the double range of plumes which form an arched crest on their head, which they have the power of raising at pleasure.
Not a Hoopoe could show its head, but it was slain or taken captive, and the days of the Hoopoes were numbered; then their minds were filled with sorrow and dismay.
The king of the Hoopoes went back to the monarch and related their piteous plight, and Solomon said, "Behold, did I not warn thee of thy folly, in desiring to have crowns of gold?
And the story, argues the recorder of this lesson upon the folly of personal adornment, must of necessity be true, for it is certain that the hoopoes bear a crown of feathers upon their heads unto this day.
A pair of crested hoopoeswith brown plumage and ruddy breasts keep fluttering a little way before us, uttering from time to time their curious notes of alarm.
In despair, the king of the hoopoes then flew to the monarch sitting on his ivory throne at Jerusalem, and begged him to change their golden crowns for crests of feathers.
Solomon the Wise smilingly gave the order; at once lovely red and black feathers took the place of the golden plumes, and the slaughter of the hoopoes in Palestine forthwith ceased.
One hot day King Solomon, travelling on his angel-borne magic carpet, was oppressed by the heat of the sun, and the hoopoes flew over his head, wing to wing in a close and protecting canopy.
Solomon was grateful, and promised to grant whatever boon the hoopoes thought fit to ask.
Hoopoes seek their food on grass-covered land, digging insects out of the earth with their long, pick-like bills.
Young hoopoes are reared up in a hole in a building, or in a bank.
One day, so the quaint old story runs, King Solomon was traveling through the desert, and was much oppressed by the heat of the sun, till a large flock of hoopoes came and flew just above his head, so as to protect him from its rays.
Once more the king listened to their petition, and gave them crowns of feathers instead, and that is how hoopoes come to have crests upon their heads.
Grateful for this assistance, the monarch told the Hoopoes to ask for a boon, and it should be granted to them.
On one of his journeys across the desert, Solomon was perishing from the heat of the sun, when the Hoopoes came to his aid, and flew in a dense mass over his head, thus forming a shelter from the fiery sunbeams.
The unfortunate Hoopoes were persecuted in all directions for the sake of their golden crowns, which they could neither take off nor conceal.
The unfortunate Hoopoes were persecuted in all directions for the sake of their golden crowns which they could neither take off nor conceal.
Most pairs of hoopoes are now accompanied by at least one young bird which is almost indistinguishable from the adults.
Occasionally in January a pair of hoopoes (Upupa indica) steals a march on its brethren by selecting a nesting site and laying eggs.
By the end of the month all but a few of the hoopoes have begun to nest; most of them have eggs, while the early birds, described in January as stealing a march on their brethren, are feeding their offspring.
On the lawn wagtails run nimbly in search of tiny insects, hoopoes probe the earth for grubs, mynas strut about, in company with king-crows and starlings, seeking for grasshoppers.
Occasionally a pair of hoopoes may be seen going through the antics of courtship preparatory to raising a second brood.
It is in February and March that the hoopoes nest in their millions, and call softly, from morn till eve, uk-uk-uk.
Flying by stealth through the loneliest ways, the unhappy King of the Hoopoes came at last to the court of the King, and stood once more before the steps of his golden throne.
So the King of the Hoopoes left King Solomon with a beautiful golden crown upon his head.
Just then he spied a flock of his friends the Hoopoes flying past, and calling to them feebly he begged them to shelter him from the burning rays.
During the journey, above the aerial caravan fluttered a cloud of birds, who with their wings formed a splendid canopy to shield their beloved lord from the sun's heat, as the Hoopoes had first done.
King Solomon looked kindly upon the King of the Hoopoes and said, "Behold, did I not warn you of your folly in desiring to have crowns of gold?
And the Queen of the Hoopoes became very airy, and refused to speak to her own cousin and to the other birds who had once been her friends.
Not a Hoopoe could show his unlucky head without being slain or taken captive, and the days of the Hoopoeswere numbered.
After this the fowler caught many Hoopoes in the same way, and sold their crowns to Issachar.
It seemed that soon there would be no more Hoopoes left to bewail their sad fate.
The King of the Hoopoes gathered together his whole nation and caused them to fly in a thick cloud over the head of Solomon while he continued his journey.
And soon all theHoopoes were wearing golden crowns.
And from that time forth the family of the Hoopoes have flourished and increased in peace, even to the present day.
During the months of March and April considerably over a million hoopoes emerge from the egg.
When young hoopoes emerge from the egg they are silent creatures, but before they are many days old they begin to welcome with squeaks the arrival of the parents with food.
However, I can say that I have never observed more than two young hoopoes emerge from a nest, and on several occasions I have noticed that only one issued forth.
With twenty or thirtyhoopoes thus at work, day after day, it is strange that the insect store of my lawn does not become exhausted.
It is my belief that young hoopoes do not leave the nest for fully a month after they are hatched.
It is said that a pair of hoopoes uses the same nest year after year.
Whenever I came upon the scene the parent hoopoes used to greet me with a harsh chur uttered with crest folded back and tail expanded.
After a little one of the hoopoes flew to the ground, and from there continued its abuse of the crow.
The hoopoes did not seem to object at all to the presence of the servants, but they took great exception to my arrival.
At the season of courtship the hoopoes cast aside their primness to some extent.
A few mornings ago I counted twenty-seven hoopoes feeding on my lawn.
Hence it comes to pass that hoopoes visit their nestlings a very great number of times in the course of the day.
But hoopoesprefer soft ground; from it they can obtain food with but little effort.
Hoopoes (Upupa indica) are constant visitors to my lawn.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "hoopoes" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
