The Hoopoe (pronounced /ˈhuːpuː/), Upupa epops, is a colorful bird that is found across Africa, Europe, and Asia, notable for its distinctive 'crown' of feathers. It is the only extant species in the family Upupidae. One insular species, the Giant Hoopoe of Saint Helena, is extinct, and the Madagascar subspecies of the Hoopoe is sometimes elevated to a full species.
In the Europe of an alternate where the Great Black Deaths happened, humanity remained at a low technological level. While bad for humans in general, this was advantageous for certain aspects of the ecology. For example, hoopoes and other birds were more common than in the home timeline. Crosstime'sAnnette Klein saw a hoopoe while she traveled from Paris to Marseille, and thought it a "bird that looked as if it had no business existing."[1]
