Woodhoopoe
Encyclopedia
The Wood hoopoes and scimitarbills are a small Africa
n family, Phoeniculidae, of near passerine
bird
s. They live south of the Sahara Desert and are not migratory
. While the family is now restricted to sub-Saharan Africa, fossil
evidence shows that the family once had a larger distribution. Fossils attributed to this family have been found in Miocene
rocks in Germany
.
The wood hoopoes are related to the kingfisher
s, the roller
s, and the Hoopoe
, forming a clade
with this last according to Hackett et al. (2008). A close relationship between the Hoopoe and the woodhoopoes is also supported by the shared and unique nature of their stapes. They most resemble the true Hoopoe with their long down-curved bills and short rounded wings. According to genetic studies, the two genera Phoeniculus
and Rhinopomastus, appear to have diverged about 10 million years ago, so some systematists treat them as separate subfamilies or even separate families
.
are medium-sized (23 to 46 cm or 9 to 18 inches long, much of which is the tail). They have metallic plumage
, often blue, green or purple, and lack a crest. The sexes are similar in all but one species, the Forest Wood Hoopoe. Their bills are either red or black, although young red-billed species also have black bills and bill colour is correlated with age. The legs are scarlet or black; the legs are short, with thick tarsi
. When climbing up the trunks of trees they do so in the manner of a woodpecker, and when feeding on the ground they hop instead of walking like the true Hoopoe
. Their tails are long and strongly graduated (the central feathers are the longest), and marked conspicuously with white, as are their wings.
These are birds of open woodland, savannah, or thornbrush, and are mainly arboreal. They require large trees both for feeding on as well as to provide hollows for nesting and nocturnal roosting. Two species are found exclusively in rainforest, the Forest Wood Hoopoe and the White-headed Wood Hoopoe, all the other species are found in more open woodland and bush.
They feed on arthropods, especially insects, which they find by probing with their bills in rotten wood and in crevices in bark. They nest in unlined tree holes, laying two to four eggs
, which are blue, grey, or olive, unmarked in most species.
FAMILY: PHOENICULIDAE Genus: Rhinopomastus
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...
n family, Phoeniculidae, of near passerine
Near passerine
Near passerine or higher land-bird assemblage are terms often given to arboreal birds or those most often believed to be related to the true passerines due to ecological similarities; the group corresponds to some extent with the Anomalogonatae of Garrod All near passerines are land birds...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s. They live south of the Sahara Desert and are not migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
. While the family is now restricted to sub-Saharan Africa, fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
evidence shows that the family once had a larger distribution. Fossils attributed to this family have been found in Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
rocks in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
The wood hoopoes are related to the kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
s, the roller
Roller
The rollers are an Old World family, Coraciidae, of near passerine birds. The group gets its name from the aerial acrobatics some of these birds perform during courtship or territorial flights. Rollers resemble crows in size and build, and share the colourful appearance of kingfishers and...
s, and the Hoopoe
Hoopoe
The Hoopoe is a colourful bird that is found across Afro-Eurasia, 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...
, forming a clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
with this last according to Hackett et al. (2008). A close relationship between the Hoopoe and the woodhoopoes is also supported by the shared and unique nature of their stapes. They most resemble the true Hoopoe with their long down-curved bills and short rounded wings. According to genetic studies, the two genera Phoeniculus
Phoeniculus
Phoeniculus is a genus of bird in the Phoeniculidae family. They are restricted to sub-Saharan Africa.The genus contains the following species:* White-headed Wood Hoopoe * Forest Wood Hoopoe...
and Rhinopomastus, appear to have diverged about 10 million years ago, so some systematists treat them as separate subfamilies or even separate families
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
.
Description
The wood hoopoes are a morphologically distinct group, unlikely to be mistaken for any other. These speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
are medium-sized (23 to 46 cm or 9 to 18 inches long, much of which is the tail). They have metallic plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
, often blue, green or purple, and lack a crest. The sexes are similar in all but one species, the Forest Wood Hoopoe. Their bills are either red or black, although young red-billed species also have black bills and bill colour is correlated with age. The legs are scarlet or black; the legs are short, with thick tarsi
Tarsus (skeleton)
In tetrapods, the tarsus is a cluster of articulating bones in each foot situated between the lower end of tibia and fibula of the lower leg and the metatarsus. In the foot the tarsus articulates with the bones of the metatarsus, which in turn articulate with the bones of the individual toes...
. When climbing up the trunks of trees they do so in the manner of a woodpecker, and when feeding on the ground they hop instead of walking like the true Hoopoe
Hoopoe
The Hoopoe is a colourful bird that is found across Afro-Eurasia, 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...
. Their tails are long and strongly graduated (the central feathers are the longest), and marked conspicuously with white, as are their wings.
Range and Behaviour
They feed on arthropods, especially insects, which they find by probing with their bills in rotten wood and in crevices in bark. They nest in unlined tree holes, laying two to four eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
, which are blue, grey, or olive, unmarked in most species.
Species
There are eight species.FAMILY: PHOENICULIDAE
- Genus: PhoeniculusPhoeniculusPhoeniculus is a genus of bird in the Phoeniculidae family. They are restricted to sub-Saharan Africa.The genus contains the following species:* White-headed Wood Hoopoe * Forest Wood Hoopoe...
- Green Wood HoopoeGreen Wood HoopoeThe 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....
,
- Green Wood Hoopoe
- Violet Wood Hoopoe, Phoeniculus damarensis
- Black-billed Wood Hoopoe, Phoeniculus somaliensis
- White-headed Wood Hoopoe, Phoeniculus bollei
- Forest Wood Hoopoe, Phoeniculus castaneiceps
- Black Scimitarbill, Rhinopomastus aterrimus
- Common ScimitarbillCommon ScimitarbillThe Common Scimitarbill is a species of bird in the Phoeniculidae family.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.-References:* BirdLife...
, Rhinopomastus cyanomelas - Abyssinian ScimitarbillAbyssinian ScimitarbillThe Abyssinian Scimitarbill is a species of bird in the Phoeniculidae family.It is found in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.-References:...
, Rhinopomastus minor
External links
- Wood hoopoe videos on the Internet Bird Collection