Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 139, July 2016, pp. 1-23. | Page 11

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Hoopoes have well-developed anti-predator defences in the nest. The uropygial
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. The secretions stop soon before the young leave the nest.
From the age of six days, nestlings can also direct streams of faeces at intruders,
and will hiss at them in a snake-like fashion. The young also strike with their bill
or with one wing (Wikipedia).
The incubation period for the species is between 15 and 18 days, during which
time the male feeds the female. Incubation begins as soon as the first egg is laid,
so the chicks are born asynchronously. The chicks hatch with a covering
of downy feathers. By around day three to five, feather quills emerge which will
become the adult feathers. The chicks are brooded by the female for between 9 to
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
(Wikipedia).

Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa infront of the Sharjah Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, Al-Khan Lagoon, Sharjah, UAE. Photo by my friend Moses
Hanfer. 26.02.2015. https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/16658747766/

Relationship with Humans
The diet of the hoopoe includes many species considered by humans to be pests,
such as the pupae of the processionary moth, a damaging forest pest. For this
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 139 – July 2016