Lampedusa and Montale

Spring has arrived, its scent is already in the air. Orange flowers and other species inebriate the air. Whales have already passed, the first animals to arrive here in Lampedusa that herald the end of winter. In a few more days, some strange animal will appear from the sky. It has a strange crest and a thin and long beak, the color is very bright, red-orange with wings and tail with white and black bands. Yes, it is one of the birds that fly over Lampedusa that does not go unnoticed.

Upupa, ilare uccello calunniato
dai poeti, che roti la tua cresta
sopra l’aereo stollo del pollaio
e come un finto gallo giri al vento;
nunzio primaverile, upupa, come
per te il tempo s’arresta,
non muore più il Febbraio,
come tutto di fuori si protende
al muover del tuo capo,
aligero folletto, e tu lo ignori

The hoopoe spends most of its time on the ground in search of food. It seems that in the event of the passage of a hawk or other predators, the hoopoe flattens to the ground by opening its wings and its tail showing off the white bands and black with wings and tail, to confuse predators. It is an insectivorous bird, which searches the ground inserting its beak into it and making short-range migrations. Here you can see the photos of the Lampedusa Hoopoe photographed by Stefano Greco