Tree hop
| Tree hop | ||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Phoeniculus purpureus | ||||||||||
| ( JF Miller , 1784) |
The Baumhopf also Kakelaar ( Phoeniculus purpureus ) is a species of the only in Africa occurring family of Woodhoopoe .
description
Tree hops are metallic dark green, with a purple back and a very long purple tail; the species shows white marks on the wings and on the sides of the tail. The long, curved beak is red. The sexes hardly differ, whereas in the young the beak is black. With 44 cm of length of Baumhopf is a relatively large representative of the Hopfartigen (for comparison, the occurring in Europe Hoopoe is only 28 cm long). In addition to its striking appearance, the bird draws attention to itself with a noisy "Kuk-uk-uk-uk-uk".
distribution
It is a common resident of the forests and savannahs in most of sub-Saharan Africa .
Way of life
The tree hop is an insect eater. It looks for its food mainly on the ground, on termite mounds and on tree stumps. The female lays two to four blue eggs in a tree hole. Outside of the breeding season, tree hops form groups. Rival troops engage in loud vocal duels.
Individual evidence
- ^ The modern animal lexicon , Volume 1, p. 2130, Bertelsmann Lexikon Institut
literature
- Barlow, Wacher and Disley: Birds of The Gambia , ISBN 1-873403-32-1 (English)
Web links
- Phoeniculus purpureus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed on December 18 of 2008.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings about Phoeniculus purpureus in the Internet Bird Collection
- photo
