The African Hoopoe in Kruger National Park

The African Hoopoe (Upupa africana) is one of the most distinctive small birds in the Greater Kruger. Cinnamon body, dramatic black-and-white wings, and a tall crest that fans open when the bird is alarmed. Common around lodge gardens and rest-camp lawns, easy to identify, and famous for one of the more unusual nest defences in the bird world.