Phoeniculus damarensis
The Violet Wood Hoopoe (Phoeniculus damarensis) is a striking, medium-sized avian gem of Southern Africa, celebrated for its dazzling iridescent plumage that shimmers with deep violet-blue, green, and bronze hues. Measuring approximately 25-29 cm in length, including a long, graduated tail that accounts for about half its total body, and weighing between 40-70 grams, this species is undeniably elegant. Its most distinctive field marks include a long, slender, decurved black bill and black leg...
Found primarily in dry broadleaf woodlands, savannas, and acacia/mopane veld, particularly favoring areas with mature trees for foraging and nesting, typically at low to mid-elevations.
Their diet consists almost exclusively of arboreal invertebrates, primarily insects such as beetle larvae, caterpillars, ants, and termites, along with spiders, which they glean and probe from tree bark and crevices.
Violet Wood Hoopoes are highly social, diurnal birds typically found in family groups of 3-6, but occasionally up to 12 individuals, which cooperatively forage and roost. They meticulously probe bark crevices, epiphytes, and decaying wood for insects, often hanging upside down or sideways with re...
The Violet Wood Hoopoe is a resident species found exclusively in Southern Africa. Its primary distribution spans southern Angola, much of Namibia, Botswana, western Zimbabwe, and extends into the northern parts of South Africa, specifically in the Limpopo and North West provinces. This species e...
Least Concern
- The Violet Wood Hoopoe has a distinctive, strong musky odor, which is thought to act as a deterrent to predators when the birds are roosting in tree cavities. - Unlike many other iridescent birds whose colors come from feather pigments, the stunning violet-blue and green hues of the wood hoopoe...