The Eurasian hoopoe (Upupa epops ) is the most widespread species of the genus Upupa. It is a distinctive cinnamon colored bird with black and white wings, a tall erectile crest, a broad white band across a black tail, and a long narrow downcurved bill. Its call is a soft “oop-oop-oop”. It is native to Europe, Asia and the northern half of Africa. It is migratory in the northern part of its range. It spends most of the time on the ground probing for grubs and insects. The clutch of seven to eight eggs is laid in an existing cavity. The eggs are incubated by the female and hatch asynchronously. Some ornithologists treat the African and Madagascar hoopoes as subspecies of the Eurasian hoopoe.

Appearance

The Eurasian hoopoe is a cinnamon-colored bird with black and white wings, a tall erectile crest, a broad white band across a black tail, and a long narrow down curved bill. The bird has broad and rounded wings capable of strong flight which are larger in the northern migratory subspecies. The hoopoe has a characteristic undulating flight, which is like that of a giant butterfly, caused by the wings half-closing at the end of each beat or a short sequence of beats.

Eurasian hoopoes are widespread in Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and northern Sub-Saharan Africa. Most European and north Asian birds migrate to the tropics in winter. Those breeding in Europe usually migrate to the Sahel belt of sub-Saharan Africa. The African populations are sedentary all year. Eurasian hoopoes require bare or lightly vegetated ground on which to forage and vertical surfaces with cavities (such as trees, cliffs, or even walls, nestboxes, haystacks, and abandoned burrows) in which to nest. These requirements can be provided in habitats such as heathland, wooded steppes, savannas and grasslands, as well as forest glades.

Habits and Lifestyle

Eurasian hoopoes are active during the day spending most of the time on the ground probing for grubs and insects. They are solitary foragers who typically feed on the ground. More rarely they will feed in the air, where their strong and rounded wings make them fast and maneuverable, in pursuit of numerous swarming insects. More commonly their foraging style is to stride over relatively open ground and periodically pause to probe the ground with the full length of their bill. The rest of the time is typically spent sunbathing by spreading out their wings and tails low against the ground and tilting their head up; they often fold their wings and preen halfway through. They also enjoy taking dust and sand baths. The typical call of these birds is a trisyllabic ‘oop-oop-oop’. Other calls include rasping croaks, when alarmed, and hisses. Females produce a wheezy note during courtship feeding by the male.

Diet and Nutrition

Eurasian hoopoes have a carnivorous (insectivorous) diet. They eat mostly insects, although small reptiles, frogs, and plant matter such as seeds and berries are sometimes taken as well.

Mating Habits

Eurasian hoopoes are serially monogamous, meaning they form pair bonds that last for a single breeding season. They are solitary and territorial breeders. The male calls frequently to advertise his ownership of the territory. Chases and fights between rival males (and sometimes females) are common and can be brutal. Birds will try to stab rivals with their bills, and individuals may be occasionally blinded in fights. The nest of Eurasian hoopoes is usually located in a hole in a tree or wall. It has a narrow entrance and may be unlined, or various scraps may be collected. The female alone is responsible for incubating the eggs. Clutch size varies with location and can contain from 4 to 12 eggs. The incubation period lasts between 15 and 18 days, during which time the male feeds the female. The chicks hatch with a covering of downy feathers. By around day 3 to 5, feather quills emerge which will become the adult feathers. The chicks are brooded by the female for between 9 and 14 days. The female later joins the male in the task of bringing food. The young fledge in 26 to 29 days and remain with the parents for about a week more.

Fun Facts for Kids

• It is suggested that hoopoes received their name from their common ‘oop-oop-oop’ call. However, an alternative explanation of the English and scientific names is that they are derived from the French name for the birds, huppée, which means crested.
• When foraging Eurasian hoopoes beat larger prey items against the ground or a preferred stone to kill them and remove indigestible body parts such as wings and legs.
• Hoopoes have well-developed anti-predator defenses in the nest. The preen gland of the incubating and brooding female is quickly modified to produce a foul-smelling liquid, and the glands of nestlings do so as well. These secretions are rubbed into the plumage. The secretion, which smells like rotting meat, is thought to help deter predators, as well as deter parasites and possibly act as an antibacterial agent. From the age of 6 days, nestlings can also direct streams of feces at intruders and will hiss at them in a snake-like fashion. The chicks also don’t hesitate to strike with their bill or with one wing.
• Hoopoes are distinctive birds and have made a cultural impact over much of their range. They were considered sacred in Ancient Egypt, and were “depicted on the walls of tombs and temples”.
• Hoopoes were seen as a symbol of virtue in Persia, while across much of Europe these birds were thought of as thieves, and harbingers of war in Scandinavia.

SOURCE: ANIMALIA.BIO

Sawfish are cartilaginous fish that belong to the order Rhinopristiformes, a group of rays containing families that amusingly appear to have been named according to items found in a luthier’s workshop. They share their order with guitarfishes, wedgefishes and banjo rays, all of which are benthic, marine predators with flattened bodies. They are sometimes known as carpenter sharks.

Bizarrely, the sawfish is equipped with a greatly elongated rostrum studded with a lethal set of outwards-facing ‘teeth’. Sawfish are generally found in shallow waters below 10m in depth, and like to diet on fish, crustaceans and mollusks. They are also among the largest of fish species, reaching at least 7 and half meters long.

Their strange shape, enormous size and preference for shallow, inshore waters have, somewhat unsurprisingly, garnered the curiosity and admiration of humans for thousands of years. Sadly the 5 species of sawfish are classified as either criticallyendangered or endangered due to being hunted for their fins, teeth or saw, as well as habitat destruction. They are protected by law in both Australia and the USA, which means it’s illegal to catch, collect, buy or sell any part of a sawfish with heavy fines for those that break the rules.

Interesting Sawfish Facts

1. Sawfish are equipped with a versatile weapon

The famous rostrum of the sawfish is primarily used to incapacitate and capture prey. It can be swept sideways like a sword to injure or kill, and is also used to pin unfortunate fish to the sea floor so they can be eaten head-first, a feeding strategy thought to disable any defensive spines their quarry might possess.

2. Their ‘saw’ contains between 14-37 denticles on each side

The sharp ‘teeth’ are not actually teeth in a traditional sense, and are called denticles – which are highly specialized scales. It’s common for the denticle count to be different on each side, and if they lose a one, it does not grow back again.

3. The rostrum is a multi-purpose survival tool

Packed into the rostrum of every sawfish are thousands of tiny organs called electroreceptors, which are able to pick up the tiny electrical currents produced by living organisms. Using this sixth sense to help them acquire their target from up to 40 centimeters away, sawfish swipe their lethal saw through the water to strike their prey with deadly accuracy.

4. When danger threatens, sawfish aren’t afraid to fight back

Sawfish have been observed in the wild using their rostrums to fend off large predators. The teeth lining the sides of the rostrum are extremely sharp, and although sawfish are placid towards divers, people are regularly injured while attempting to catch them for profit.

5. Sawfish are rays, not sharks- but saw-sharks exist too!

Both sawfish (order Rhinopristiformes) and saw-sharks (order Pristiophoriformes) are equipped with remarkably similar toothed rostrums, and use them to locate and capture prey in very similar ways. At first glance, sawfish and saw-sharks appear to be closely related, but in reality, they are distant cousins and only share a taxonomic Class.

6. They give birth to live young

Like many chondrichthyan species, sawfish eggs develop and hatch inside the body of their mother, resulting in live birth. This reproductive strategy is called ovoviviparity, and allows sawfish to avoid leaving their developing eggs in the open where they are at risk of predation.

7. Unlike most marine fish, sawfish can adapt to varying levels of salinity

Sawfish are capable of travelling freely between oceanic, estuarine and freshwater habitats. Some sawfish species have more affinity towards fresh water than others- the large tooth sawfish spends a great deal of time in lakes and rivers, and even gives birth there.

8. Sawfish can clone themselves

Occasionally, in the absence of any male individuals, female small tooth sawfish give birth to male offspring that are genetically identical to themselves; these cloned individuals are thought to account for around 3% of the population. This process is known as facultative parthenogenesis, and is thought to be a survival tactic that allows isolated females to establish new populations.

9. Fishing nets pose a huge danger to sawfish

The shape of their rostrum, as well as the behavior of sweeping it sideways defensively or while hunting, puts sawfish at extreme risk of entanglement in fishing nets. Of particular danger are passive nets that are left unattended, and also old, discarded ‘ghost’ nets.

10. Their value to humans makes them a target for poachers

Sawfish are one of the many chondrichthyan species relentlessly hunted for shark fin soup, and their rostrum is highly valued in traditional medicine. This is a big problem for sawfish populations- their value increases as their numbers dwindle, causing a feedback loop that leads to even more poaching.

11. Sawfish have had strong cultural significance for thousands of years

Beliefs surrounding sawfish vary greatly throughout the world, but they are commonly regarded as symbols of strength, protection and natural balance. European sailors feared the sawfish; they wrongly believed them to be highly dangerous and capable of sinking ships with their fearsome saws.

SOURCE: FACTANIMAL.COM