The
hoopoe (
Upupa epops, "hudhud") is a colourful
bird found across
Afro-Eurasia, notable for its distinctive "crown" of feathers. It is the only
extant species in the
family Upupidae. One insular species, the
Saint Helena hoopoe, is extinct, and the
Madagascar subspecies of the hoopoe is sometimes elevated to a full species. Like the Latin name
upupa, the English name is an
onomatopoeic form which imitates the cry of the bird. The hoopoe is the national bird of
Israel.