Phoeniculus purpureus, Photo: Michael Lahanas Cladus: Eukaryota Name Phoeniculus purpureus (J.F. Miller, 1784) Reference Icones animalium et plantarum pt9 pl.52 Vernacular names The Green Wood Hoopoe, Phoeniculus purpureus, is a large, up to 44cm 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 and woodlands of most of sub-Saharan 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. This species is parasitised by the Greater and Lesser Honeyguide. [1] This abundant species is a metallic dark green, with a purple back and very long purple tail. It has white markings on the wings and tail sides. It has a 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. 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. References 1. ^ Roberts Bird Guide (2007) * BirdLife International (2004). Phoeniculus purpureus. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern Source: Wikipedia, Wikispecies: All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License |
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