The Eurasian Upupa (Upupa epops) is a colorful bird with an erectile crest and belongs to the order Bucerotiformi (Bucerotiformes), which includes the family Bucerotidae, the family Phoeniculidae and the upupe. The Eurasian upupa has about the size of the magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca): it measures from 20 to 30 cm in length and weighs from 45 to 90 grams. The wingspan is 45-50 cm.
The wings are wide and rounded, and the tail is slightly rounded square in shape. The beak, 5-6 cm long and thin, is gray and slightly curved downwards. The irises are dark brown, and the legs and feet are gray.
The adult male has on the head, neck, coat and lower areas, a plumage that goes from rosé to sand-leather color. The croup and belly are white in color.
Rounded wings are black with white stripes running through rowing feathers; the internal primaries show white tips. When the wings are closed several wide white stripes can be observed. The tail is black with only one horizontal white stripe.
The crest of the Eurasian upupa is sand-leather color with black and white tips. This ridge is usually kept flattened, but during performances it opens like a wonderful fan.
The female upupa has a paler plumage and is slightly smaller than the male. Young upupas resemble females, but have shorter crests and beaks.
There are 9 subspecies of Upupa epops, which have some variations in plumage. The African upupa (Upupa epops africana), along with other sub-Saharan subspecies, is the darkest and has a deep red plumage with black tips on the ridge, with no white spots.
