Hoop, hoop, hooray! 3 hoopoe chicks hatch at Taiping Lake Gardens

 

The mother bird feeding one of the chicks in the nest at the Lake Gardens in Taiping, Perak.

TAIPING: A pair of rare hoopoes, or hudhud in Arabic, that made the Lake Gardens here their temporary home to breed while on their migratory trail, have bred three colourful fledglings.

The “couple” landed here for the first time on April 5 and made a hollow tree trunk its home, after which the female started incubating, said Taiping Zoo director Dr Kevin Lazarus.

During this period, the zoo together with the wildlife department and Taiping Birding Community formed teams to watch their activities 24 hours a day to document their incubation process and habits.

One of the chicks (right) seeking food from the mother bird.

“For the 30 days after the chicks were hatched, only one of the adult birds flies out at each time while the other tends to the chicks. They brought back 16 types of food including ants, fishes, worms, centipedes, millipedes and spiders.

Dr Kevin Lazarus.

“They leave at 7am and can be seen flying between 170 and 220 times daily in and out until 6pm,” he told FMT.

Kevin said the chicks only started coming out without fear after about 30 days, and were now fending for themselves.

He said the zoo ensured that the birds were not too troubled during the incubation period by cordoning off a huge area, adding that thousands have come to view this “Taiping special”.

Asked when they are expected to fly off, he said they were not sure. “We are not sure if they will fly away. They usually return to the North in March or April, but having nested here, we are not sure.”

The hoopoe, known as “Duchifat” in Hebrew, was named by Israel as its national bird in 2008, as is listed in the Old Testament as unclean and forbidden food for Jews.

Two of the chicks peeking out of their nest.

In a press statement earlier, Taiping municipal council president Khairul Amir Mohamed said the hoopoes were special in Islam as the hudhud is mentioned in the Quran.

“It is mentioned as a creature which is honest, smart, disciplined and strong because it is capable of flying long distances and adept at detecting areas with water.

“In addition, there are no records of hoopoes nesting or breeding in Malaysia while on their migratory route. So their sudden and short stay in Taiping is indeed special to us,” he said.

The hoopoe (Upupa epops) is a colourful bird that is found across Afro-Eurasia, and is notable for its distinctive crown of feathers. - FMT