Comportament del puput Upupa epops: Postura d'ales esteses i coll romput

• Autores: Rafel Mas Ferrer, Gemma Carrasco
• Localización: Anuari Ornitològic de les Balears: revista d'observació, estudi i conservació dels aucells, ISSN-e 2174-4998, ISSN 1137-831X, Vol. 18, 2003, págs. 73-77
• Idioma: catalán
• Títulos paralelos:
  • Hoopoe 's Upupa epops behaviour: Spreadeagle and broken neck posture
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo (pdf)
• Resumen

  • It describes the observation of 2 specimen Hoopoe seen on two separate occasions, close in time. It discusses the purpose of the spreadeagled posture used by this bird. At first sight it appeared that this position indicates the bird was either sunbathing or anting. Sunbathing is used to maintain plumage and a healthy skin, free of parasites. It is believed that anting has an insecticidal purpose.

    Some authors have described the spreadeagled posture as a possible reaction against predators. On both ocassions, however, it did not appear that the birds were stressed by the presence of predators. Due to the distance from which the observations were made it can not be concluded wether the bird was sunbathing or anting, or using both processes simultaneously.