The word for bird is mentioned in the five times and birds appear in the thirteen times. Among the birds, the hoopoe (hud-hud in Arabic) is specifically mentioned in Sura an-Naml twice in the following manner:
And he sought among the birds and said: How is it that I see not the Hoopoe, or is he among the absent? … But the Hoopoe tarried not far: he compassed [territory] which you have not compassed and I have come to thee from Saba with tidings true. (27.20, 22)
The hoopoe is an elegant bird, related to the hornbill. It gets its unusual name from its call of ‘hoop’, which rings clear and far, and is repeated two or three times. Often the cry is cut off very short. This may be caused by the bird’s bill sharply striking the ground at the end of the note. The hoopoe’s call is the basis of its name in many languages, not just English: in Persian and Urdu it is hud. It is one of Old World’s non-passerine birds. Kingfishers, bee eaters, rollers, hoopoes and hornbills are collectively referred to as roller-like birds. There are about seven species of hoopoe. It is widely distributed across Europe, Asia and northern Africa. It exists in the temperate and tropical regions of the Old World.
This is a small bird, about twelve inches long, the size of a large thrush or mynah, and has short legs with heavy feet and powerful claws. It has a handsome erectile semicircular crest (large crown of feathers tipped with black that constantly opens and closes on the head), which is the hoopoe’s most striking feature. It is long and fan-shaped, with feathers that increase in length from front to back. When feeding, the hoopoe’s crest is closed; when alarmed or excited, the bird unfurls its crest and opens it out like a fan. Coloured fawn or cinnamon, the hoopoe has black and white stripes on its back, wings and tail: the upper part of the body is a pale brown, with wings of black striped with white, while the underparts are buff, streaked with black; the black tail, which is not very long, is black with one broad, central stripe of white. These bands are clearly seen when the bird is in flight. The short legs it has are well adapted for walking. The hoopoe’s beak is long, slender and curves slightly downwards.
When threatened by a bird of prey, the hoopoe flattens itself against the ground and spreads its tail and wings. The head is thrown back and the bill points straight up. Whatever this indicates, it does seem to discourage potential enemies. Hoopoes are found in almost all parts of Asia, even in cities and towns where there are few open spaces left.
Prophet Solomon was a king whose armies consisted of troops made up of men, jinn and birds. It is possible that the birds were employed for communicating messages, for hunting and for other services. In the (27.20) Solomon, who is described as a prophet, reviewed his birds and found the hoopoe (hud-hud) missing. The most mobile arm of his army was the birds, who were light and flew and saw everything. Solomon expressed his anger and his desire to punish the hoopoe if it did not present itself before him with a reasonable excuse. Within a short while, the hoopoe returned and said:
‘I have obtained knowledge of things of which you have no knowledge. I have brought sure information about Saba [often identified with a wealthy community of people in southern Arabia, now Yemen]. There I have seen a woman ruling over her people: she has been given all sorts of provisions, and she has a splendid throne. I saw that she and her people prostrate themselves before the sun, instead of Allah!’ Solomon said, ‘We shall just now see whether what you say is true, or that you are a liar. Take this letter of mine and cast it before them; then get aside and see what reaction they show’. (27.22–28)
That is the last we hear of the bird.
Some have interpreted hud-hud as the name of a man and not a bird, since a bird could not possibly be endowed with such powers of observation, discrimination and expression that it should pass over a country and thereby come to know that it is the land of Saba, it has such and such a system of government, it is ruled by a certain woman (Bilqis), its religion is sun-worship and that it should be worshipping one god instead of being idolatrous, then finally, on its return to Solomon, be able so clearly to make a report of all its observations before him. Yet if God, the creator of all animals, tells us that he had taught the speech of the birds to one of his prophets and blessed him with the ability to speak to them, and the prophet’s taming and training had enabled a hoopoe to make certain observations in foreign lands and report them to the Prophet, there is every reason to accept this within the logic of the itself.
five times and birds appear in the 
thirteen times. Among the birds, the hoopoe (
(27.20) Solomon, who is described as a prophet, reviewed his birds and found the hoopoe (
itself.
