What to Know About the Green Wood-hoopoe in Uganda?

The Green Wood-Hoopoe in Uganda is one of the African birds in Uganda seen during Uganda birding safaris. It is a large bird, up to 44 cm long, a near-passerine tropical bird native to Africa. It is a member of the family Phoeniculidae, the wood hoopoes, and was formerly known as the red-billed wood hoopoe.

The green wood hoopoe is a common resident breeder in the forests, woodlands and suburban gardens of most of Sub-Saharan Africa.

It is found in groups of up to a dozen or so birds with only one breeding pair in lake Mburo national park-Uganda.

How Does the Green Wood-hoopoe in Uganda Look Like?

The adult of nominate race has dark green plumage overall, with sheens of black, green, purple and blue. Head and throat are bluer, the nape is violet and the upper mantle is blue.

On the upper wing, we can see a white wing bar across the middle of the primaries, whereas the primary coverts only have white tips. The long, graduated tail shows white subterminal spots.

The long, down-curved bill is red (size: 49-63 mm). The eyes are dark brown. The short legs and the strong feet are reddish.

The female has similar plumage, but she is smaller, with shorter bill than male (37-60 mm). The juvenile has duller plumage.

The bill is dark and straighter, and legs and feet are dark too. Most juveniles may have brown or buff throat and smaller white spots on the tail.

How Does the Green Wood-hoopoe in Uganda Sing and Make Calls?

The Green Wood Hoopoe is a noisy bird, and the vocalizations play an important role in the social life of this species.

In addition, a single-note call allows to identify the sex of the bird. The male utters “kuk” calls when alarmed “kuk-uk-uk-uk” culminating in a frenzied choral cacophony.

This “song” is also given during displays and territorial disputes. When alarmed, the females of the flock give higher-pitched “keek”.

During displays, (or “rallies”) within the group, we can hear prolonged chuckling and cackling vocalizations “kak-kak-kkkkk”. The calls given by each sex can be distinguished.

How Does the Green Wood-hoopoe in Uganda Feed?

The Green Wood Hoopoe feeds primarily on arthropods, adults and larvae, including beetles, moths, butterflies, termites, bugs, grasshoppers, crickets, wasps, bees, ants, dragonflies and damselflies.

It also consumes spiders and the eggs of spiders and insects. It also takes lizards in West Africa. Berries and Acacia seeds are eaten in addition of animal prey.

The Green Wood Hoopoe forages on trunks and branches, helped by its short legs and strong claws. It probes wood crevices and uses its strong bill to hammer flakes of bark from tree while searching for invertebrates.

It spends most of the day foraging in trees, but when the termites are swarming, it can become an excellent aerial insect-eater.

The male may sometimes forage on the ground. These birds know how to make the most of every situation to find food.

How Does the Green wood-hoopoe in Uganda Nest?

They nest in tree cavity, but other sites such as roofs of houses can be used too. They do not build a nest, and sometimes, they remove the nest material placed in a cavity par other species, often woodpecker or barbet.

The cavity is between 1 and more than 20 meters above the ground. The same cavity may be used several times.

How Does the Green Wood-hoopoe in Uganda Breed?

The Green Wood Hoopoe is monogamous. Within a flock, only alpha male and alpha female breed. The other members of the group assist in feeding the female during the incubation and the chicks during the nestling period.

Prior to nesting, both mates leave the group several times each day, in order to spend time perched together in or near the chosen nest-tree.

They engage in mutual grooming and preening, and periodic copulation.  Before the egg-laying, the breeding female solicits food from all the flock members by producing an intense twittering.

The nest-cavity is chosen by the female, usually close to good feeding sites.

How Does the Green Wood-hoopoe in Uganda Reproduce?

The female lays 3-4 pale greenish-blue eggs with pale pits. The breeding female incubates alone during 17-18 days.

She is fed by her mate and the members of the group. At hatching, the chicks have long white down growing from the feather tracts.

They are completely helpless.
The female feeds them with the food brought at nest by both male and helpers. The young fledge 28-30 days after hatching.

They can fly strongly 3-4 months after leaving the nest. They are still fed by the group for several weeks after fledging and they may remain with the flock for up to 5 years.