The violet wood hoopoe is a species of bird in the family Phoeniculidae. It is found in Angola, Kenya, Namibia, and Tanzania. It looks similar to the black-billed wood hoopoe but with a red beak and a green throat. It has coppery and violet mantle feathers.
Region
Southwestern Africa
Typical Environment
Found primarily in arid and semi-arid woodlands and savannas, especially mopane and acacia habitats. It frequents riparian groves and mature trees that offer natural cavities for roosting and nesting. The species favors areas with ample dead wood and peeling bark where invertebrates are abundant. It generally avoids dense rainforest and treeless deserts, using scattered woodland and river corridors instead.
Altitude Range
0–1800 m
Climate Zone
Arid
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The violet wood hoopoe is a highly social, cooperative breeder that lives in cohesive groups and sleeps in tree cavities. Its glossy plumage shifts from green to coppery-violet depending on the light, and it uses a long, decurved red bill to probe bark and crevices for prey. Groups perform loud, synchronized choruses that help maintain territory boundaries.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with bounding, undulating movement
Social Behavior
Lives in tight-knit groups that defend territories year-round. Cooperative breeding is common, with non-breeding helpers assisting in feeding chicks and mobbing predators. Nests and communal roosts are in natural cavities in large trees.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Produces ringing, cackling choruses of kek-kek-kek notes delivered by multiple group members. Calls are loud, antiphonal, and used for contact, territorial defense, and group cohesion.
Plumage
Glossy, iridescent plumage with violet and coppery sheens on the mantle and back, and a greenish throat. Long, graduated tail with a metallic blue-violet sheen; subtle white flashes may show in the wings during flight.
Diet
Feeds mainly on insects and other arthropods such as beetles, ants, termites, caterpillars, spiders, and occasional scorpions. It probes bark, crevices, and dead wood with its curved bill, and will also glean from branches and leaf litter. Small vertebrates and a little fruit may be taken opportunistically.
Preferred Environment
Forages on trunks and larger branches of mature trees, especially where bark is loose or fissured. Often feeds in small parties that move methodically from tree to tree, including along riparian strips.
