Birds and Birding's Guide to:

Watching THE ROLLER-LIKE BIRDS

THE ROLLERS AND THEIR ALLIES

THE HOOPOES

The Wood Hoopoes

(Subfamily Irrisorince) to the number of sixteen or eighteen forms, disposed among three genera, are all confined to the continent of Africa, and are distinguished from the true Hoopoes mainly by the elongated instead of round nostrils, a long cuneate tail which much exceeds the wings in length, and the more or less glossy plumage. The three genera are based on rather minor differences in curvature of the bill and the overhanging edge of the nostrils.

The Wood Hoopoes, as the name implies, are birds of the wooded districts, spending their entire time in trees and rarely if ever coming to the ground to seek for their food.

They are very shy, wary birds, flitting incessantly about among the branches in quest of insects, or climbing about the trunks after the manner of Woodpeckers, and prying into every crack and crevice for eggs and larva of insects as well as the various bark-haunting species.

Their nesting habits are similar to those of the Hoopoes, and the nest cavity is said to be in the same ill-smelling condition,—in fact, the birds themselves are described by Mr. Ayres as having a peculiarly powerful and disagreeable smell. The eggs of some of the species at least are said to be white. The birds go about in small, often evidently family parties, and have a harsh, resounding cry, whence one or more are known to the Dutch under the name of Kackela or Chatterer.

The Purple-tailed Wood Hoopoe {Irrisor viridis) may be selected as an example of the first genus. About fourteen and a half inches long, the upper surface is a glossy metallic green, shaded with bronze on the back, and steel-blue on the crown and nape, while the wings are steel-blue, the primaries with a middle band of white and their coverts white-tipped; the tail is purplish with violet reflections, the middle pair of feathers unspotted and the others with a subterminal band of white; the under parts are glossy metallic green.

In Northeast Africa and West Africa this species is replaced by a closely allied form (/. erythrorhynchus) which differs mainly in having a steel-green tail which shows scarcely any violet or purple reflections.

In the Straight-billed Wood Hoopoes (Scoptelus) the bill is generally much less curved than in the others, while in the Scimitar-billed Wood Hoopoes (Rhino-pomastus) the bill is very much curved. In all the plumage is more or less steel-blue or purple.

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