African Hoopoe

Description:

Unmistakable and striking pigeon-sized bird. Black and white striped broad and rounded wings; buff chest, neck and back. It shows a long, narrow and scimitar-like curved bill, and a distinctive buffy-pink crest with black tips. This crest is usually kept folded, except briefly when landing, otherwise is unfolded rarely. Tail is broad, black with a white band. African Hoopoe was (or still is) considered as a race of eurasian hoopoe; but its buff parts are richer and darker cinnamon; and there is more dark yellow on the back (see photo 2). Here are my two spottings of Eurasian hoopoe for comparison: https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/18... (from Croatia) https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/19... (from Sudan). Moreover, there are some more differences in upper wings colorings as well.

Habitat:

Here observed during a dinner frenzy - we went to a nearby forest, or better said, open woodland - birds were feeding everywhere, hardly paying attention to us. Seen in Kunene region of Namibia (northwest), around Sesfontein town, in arid open acacia tree-and-shrub landscape. Very dry (but still magnificent and rich in wildlife) at the moment, following a three-year dry-spell.

Notes:

The discussion about this species and its taxonomic place is still ongoing... In most cases, today, African Hoopoe is recognized as separate species; on some websites and books, is still classified as Upupa epops africana... Moreover, most often it is classified in order Bucerotiformes, with hornbills; while in the newest classification based on DNA, a separate order, Upupiformes, was created. This order includes hoopoes (fam Upupidae), wood-hoopoes (fam Phoeniculidae ) and Scimitar-bills (fam Rhinopomastidae).