ETYM So called from its cry; cf. Latin upupa, Dutch hop, French huppe; cf. also German wiedenhopf, Old High Germ. wituhopfo, lit., wood hopper.
Any of several crested Old World birds with a slender down-curving bill; SYN. hoopoo.
Curved-billed, large-crested bird of Old World.
Bird Upupa epops in the order Coraciiformes, slightly larger than a thrush, with a long, thin bill and a bright, buff-colored crest that expands into a fan shape. The wings are banded with black and white, and the rest of the plumage is black, white, and buff. This bird is the “lapwing” mentioned in the Old Testament.