Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 139, July 2016, pp. 1-23. | Page 4

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minor, and only U. e. marginata has distinctly different vocalisations. One
accepted separate species, the Saint Helena hoopoe, U. antaios, lived on the island
of St. Helena but became extinct in the 16th century, presumably due to
introduced species (Wikipedia).
The genus Upupa was created by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758. It then
included three other species with long curved bills:
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U. eremita (now Geronticus eremita), the northern bald ibis
U. pyrrhocorax (now Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), the red-billed chough
U. paradisea (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@N00/16476798197/

Subspecies
Nine subspecies of hoopoe are recognised by Kristin (in the 2001 Handbook of the
Birds of the World). They vary mostly in size and the depth of colour in the
plumage. Two further subspecies have been proposed, U. e. minor in South
Africa and U. e. orientalis in north western India (Wikipedia).
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 139 – July 2016