Red-billed Wood Hoopoe

Harare, Zimbabwe

The red-billed or green hoopoe is found in open woodland, riverine forest, bushveld and wooded gardens and is mainly arboreal. They need large trees where they forage for food and provide hollows for nesting and roosting.They are widely distributed  and common in Mozambique, eastern South Africa, parts of Botswana, northern Namibia, as well as Zimbabwe. They live in communities and sleep in tree cavities at night.  I photographed this superb specimen in a garden in a suburb of Harare.

Feeding

They are omniverous, probing trunks and branches for insects, amphibians, reptiles, fruit, nectar and seeds with their long beaks. As well as being arboreal hunters, red-billed wood hoopoes will also take insects in flight and foraging on the ground.

Breeding

Red-billed wood hoopoes are gregarious, with as many as 16 birds in a family group, but there is only one breeding pair. The nest is in an unlined tree hollow and the female of the breeding pair incubates the eggs.  They have evolved a highly effective system where all members of the group bring her food and feed the chicks after they have hatched.  The group also work together to protect the nest and drive away predators  such as snakes and raptors.

Wildfile Specials

• For the first few weeks the female behaves like her chicks begging for food brought to the nest!  She then passes the food on to her chicks.
• Another feature of this amazing cooperative group, is their cackling communications with the chicks.
• They all help preen the chicks and after they are fledged,  guide them to their roost and settle them in.