Violet Woodhoopoe
Phoeniculus damarensis
An elongated black bird with a coppery-purple metallic sheen and a long, decurved red-orange bill. The juvenile has a dark bill, but is often in the company of adults. The species flies heavily with the white-tipped tail dangling. Pairs and groups of 3-12 are highly social, occupying arid savanna, woodland, and riverine forest along the Namib escarpment, where they nest and roost in natural cavities. They clamber in trees, probing bark and crevices for insects and small vertebrates, and communicate using a strong cackling chatter that is almost maniacal. The almost identical Green Woodhoopoe (with which this species sometimes hybridizes) only differs from Violet Woodhoopoe by having a glossy-greenish (not coppery-purple) metallic sheen.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Phoeniculus damarensis
- Order
- Bucerotiformes
- Family
- Phoeniculidae
- Genus
- Phoeniculus
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Yellow-throated Euphonia
Euphonia hirundinacea
Tiny finch of tropical lowlands and foothills, mainly in humid areas. Found in forest canopy, adjacent clearings with trees, gardens. Usually in pairs, sometimes small groups that associate readily with other euphonias, especially when feeding at mistletoe. Male has rich yellow throat and underparts (lacks black throat of male Scrub Euphonia); female has pale grayish throat and yellow sides creating a vested appearance. Young male looks like female with an adult male head stuck on.
Scrub Nightjar
Nyctidromus anthonyi
Brown-and-buff nightbird found in arid scrub and deserts in western Ecuador and northwestern Peru. It is dark brown, heavily mottled with buff, and has a white throat. In flight, it has white crescents near the wingtips and white stripes along the outer tail feathers. Similar to Common Pauraque, but smaller, with a shorter tail and a different voice. Compared to Tschudi's Nightjar, with which it overlaps in northwestern Peru, Scrub is much darker and has a different song. Scrub Nightjar typically gives a clear, whistled, incessantly repeated “tWEE-oh,” more emphatic and not as burry as Common Pauraque.
Erckel's Spurfowl
Pternistis erckelii
A pheasant-sized game bird with a chestnut crown, white throat, and white streaks above and below. Males are larger than females. Occurs in grasslands, shrubby areas, and gullies, usually in uplands. Prefers wetter areas than Gray and Black Francolins. Call is a loud series of laughing “er-er-er” notes descending in pitch toward the end. Introduced to Hawaii where it is common on Kauai, Lanai, and Hawaii and local on Oahu and Maui.
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