Description:

Head: Pinkish orange with black tips to crest. Beak: Long and curved, orange.Body: Pinkish orange.Wings: Black and white.Legs: Orange.Sex: Both sexes look alike.Size: 28cm.

Habitat:

This bird is common in Rwanda. It can be most easily seen in Akagera NP but is found in all savannah areas and even in central Rwanda.

Diet:

Hoopoes eat insects, worms and occasionally small lizards. It hunts in short grass or on bare soil.

Interesting Facts:

Hoopoes in Rwanda are a resident species, but in certain months of the dry season the numbers swell due to migrants from the south. Those that breed in Rwanda make their nests in trees, sometimes houses and even in holes in termite mounds.

Hoopoes are a family that are found in Africa, Asia and Europe. The local name for these birds is often an onomatopoeia; that is the name spells the bird call. If you imagine blowing across the top of a bottle you can make a "hooooo-pooooo” sound.

The bird is so striking that it has influenced many local legend, myths and stories. No more important that in the Arabic world and the Middle East. Arabians painted Hoopoes and wrote poems about them. The Romans considered the Hoopoe as the saint of Manure because the young birds in the nest can squirt excrement to deter predators. More recently the Hoopoe has been named as the national bird of Israel.

By understanding birds, the country can protect its natural heritage. If you are interested join our Facebook Group – search for "Rwanda Birding Club”.

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