Violet Wood Hoopoe (Phoeniculus damarensis)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Violet Wood Hoopoe

Phoeniculus damarensis (Ogilvie-Grant, 1901)

82 gWeight

The violet wood hoopoe (Phoeniculus damarensis) is a species of bird in the family Phoeniculidae.

Busiest months: November · Most records: Namibia, Kenya, Ethiopia

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: November · Most records: Namibia, Kenya, Ethiopia

Violet Wood Hoopoe has been recorded at 28 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 5 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Etosha NP – Halali CampNamibia446 records
  2. Nairobi NPKenya167 records
  3. Buffalo Springs NRKenya102 records
More places
  1. Samburu NRKenya80 records
  2. Waterberg ResortNamibia75 records
  3. Shaba NRKenya45 records
  4. Kunene River LodgeNamibia35 records
  5. Hobatere – LodgeNamibia28 records
  6. Ondudu LodgeNamibia26 records
  7. Buffalo Springs NR / Samburu NRKenya24 records

Countries and regions with the most records

NamibiaKenyaEthiopiaAngolaSingapore

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The violet wood hoopoe (Phoeniculus damarensis) 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.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Violet Wood Hoopoe?

The Violet Wood Hoopoe weighs around 82 g.

Where does the Violet Wood Hoopoe live?

Its breeding range: Africa: Angola and Namibia. Also Kenya. It is most often recorded in Namibia, Kenya and Ethiopia.

When is the best time to see the Violet Wood Hoopoe?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Violet Wood Hoopoe endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Violet Wood Hoopoe as Least Concern.

What does the Violet Wood Hoopoe eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Violet Wood Hoopoe in?

It belongs to the family Wood Hoopoes (Phoeniculidae), order Bucerotiformes.

At a glance

Weight
82 g
Habitat
Shrubland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
148 mm
Tail
219 mm
Bill
49 mm
Tarsus
20 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: Angola and Namibia. Also Kenya

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Wood Hoopoes Phoeniculidae
Genus
Phoeniculus

Other birds in the genus Phoeniculus

Forest Wood HoopoeForest Wood HoopoePhoeniculus castaneicepsWhite-headed Wood HoopoeWhite-headed Wood HoopoePhoeniculus bolleiGreen Wood HoopoeGreen Wood HoopoePhoeniculus purpureusBlack-billed Wood HoopoeBlack-billed Wood HoopoePhoeniculus somaliensisBlack ScimitarbillBlack ScimitarbillRhinopomastus aterrimusCommon ScimitarbillCommon ScimitarbillRhinopomastus cyanomelasAbyssinian ScimitarbillAbyssinian ScimitarbillRhinopomastus minor
Violet Wood Hoopoe

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Andrew Thompson. ↗

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