White-headed wood hoopoe

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White-headed wood hoopoe

Status: Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)

Scientific name: Phoeniculus bollei
Family: Phoeniculidae
Genus: Phoeniculus
Species: P. bollei
Authority: Hartlaub, 1858
Synonyms: Irrisor jacksoni, Irrisor bollii

About
The white-headed wood hoopoe is a bird found in many parts of Africa. The species name bollei honors the German naturalist Carl August Bolle.

Where it lives
Range includes Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. It lives from sea level up to 3,200 m (10,500 ft) in savannas, dry woodlands, montane forests, regenerating forests, and deciduous woodlands.

What it looks like
Body length is about 30–35 cm (12–14 in). The female is smaller with a shorter bill. It has a white head, a bright red curved beak, red legs, and iridescent dark blue or violet-blue plumage. The wings have a purple-copper shine.

How it behaves
These hoopoes are very social and often travel in groups of 2–10. They breed almost all year, in both wet and dry seasons.

What it eats
They mainly eat insects and other arthropods—larvae, beetles, ants, termites, grasshoppers, spiders—and other invertebrates, often by probing tree trunks. They also eat berries and seeds sometimes.

Nesting
In the eastern part of its range (Kenya and Tanzania), they nest only in mountain areas above 2,000 m. Nests are in natural cavities in dead or healthy trees, up to 40 meters above the ground.