Green Wood Hoopoe
Encyclopedia
The Green Wood Hoopoe is a large, up to 44 cm long, near-passerine tropical bird native to Africa
. It is a member of the family Phoeniculidae, the wood hoopoes, and is formally known as the Red-billed Wood Hoopoe.
The Green Wood Hoopoe is a common resident breeder in the forests, woodlands and suburban gardens of most of sub-Sahara
n Africa. They are found in groups of up to a dozen or so birds with only one breeding pair. The breeding female lays two to four blue eggs in a natural tree hole or old barbet nest and incubates for about 18 days. Upon hatching, she and the nestlings are fed by the rest of the group, even after they have fledged and left the nest hole. The group are fearless in defence of the nestlings against intruders. This species is parasitised by the Greater
and Lesser Honeyguide
.
This abundant species is a metallic dark green, with a purple back and very long diamond-shaped purple tail. Distinctive white markings on the wings and white chevrons on the tail edges make it easily identifiable, as does its long thin curved red bill. Sexes are similar, but immatures have a black bill.
The Green Wood Hoopoe is an insect-eating species. It feeds mainly on the ground, termite
mounds, or on tree trunks, and will form flocks outside the breeding season. Its specialised claws enable it to easily cling to the underside of branches while closely inspecting the bark for insects.
This conspicuous bird also advertises its presence with its loud Kuk-uk-uk-uk-uk call and other vocalisations.
Widespread and common throughout its large range, the Green Wood Hoopoe is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species.
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. It is a member of the family Phoeniculidae, the wood hoopoes, and is formally known as the Red-billed Wood Hoopoe.
The Green Wood Hoopoe is a common resident breeder in the forests, woodlands and suburban gardens of most of sub-Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
n Africa. They are found in groups of up to a dozen or so birds with only one breeding pair. The breeding female lays two to four blue eggs in a natural tree hole or old barbet nest and incubates for about 18 days. Upon hatching, she and the nestlings are fed by the rest of the group, even after they have fledged and left the nest hole. The group are fearless in defence of the nestlings against intruders. This species is parasitised by the Greater
Greater Honeyguide
The Greater Honeyguide is a bird in the family Indicatoridae, paleotropical near passerine birds related to the woodpeckers. Its English and scientific names refer to its habit of guiding people to bee colonies....
and Lesser Honeyguide
Lesser Honeyguide
The Lesser Honeyguide is a species of bird in the Indicatoridae family.It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia,...
.
This abundant species is a metallic dark green, with a purple back and very long diamond-shaped purple tail. Distinctive white markings on the wings and white chevrons on the tail edges make it easily identifiable, as does its long thin curved red bill. Sexes are similar, but immatures have a black bill.
The Green Wood Hoopoe is an insect-eating species. It feeds mainly on the ground, termite
Termite
Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera , but are now accepted as the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea...
mounds, or on tree trunks, and will form flocks outside the breeding season. Its specialised claws enable it to easily cling to the underside of branches while closely inspecting the bark for insects.
This conspicuous bird also advertises its presence with its loud Kuk-uk-uk-uk-uk call and other vocalisations.
Widespread and common throughout its large range, the Green Wood Hoopoe is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species.
