I like the Hoopoe, it's a lovely busy little bird. When living in Nelspruit, the last part of our journey home was on a dirt road, one short section was particularly sandy and it was here that a small group of these birds would gather in the late afternoon for a sand bath. We would have to stop the car and wait for them to finish. This became quite a regular event, and I always felt rather disappointed, if for some reason they were not there. The call is a pleasant sounding hoop-hoop, hoop hoop hoop and they look very smart when their crest is erect, as in the painting.