Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 139, July 2016, pp. 1-23. | Page 10

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with their bills, and individuals are occasionally blinded in fights. The nest is in a
hole in a tree or wall, and has a narrow entrance. It may be unlined, or various
scraps may be collected. The female alone is responsible for incubating the
eggs. Clutch size varies with location: northern hemisphere birds lay more eggs
than those in the southern hemisphere, and birds at higher latitudes have larger
clutches than those closer to the equator. In central and northern Europe and
Asia the clutch size is around 12, whereas it is around four in the tropics and
seven in the subtropics. The eggs are round and milky blue when laid, but
quickly discolour in the increasingly dirty nest. They weigh 4.5 grams. A
replacement clutch is possible (Wikipedia).

The Hoopoe (Upupa epops Linnaeus, 1758) in the Gardens of the Sharjah Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, Al-Khan Lagoon, Sharjah, UAE. Photo by Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman
Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa. 26.02.2015.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/16064657313/

Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 139 – July 2016