Black-billed Wood Hoopoe

The black-billed wood hoopoe (Phoeniculus somaliensis) is a species of bird in the family Phoeniculidae. It is native to eastern Africa where it is found in wooded and scrubby areas. == Description == The black-billed wood hoopoe is very similar to the green wood hoopoe (Phoeniculus purpureus) in appearance, but lacks the greenish gloss on the head and mantle and has a black beak rather than a red one, though there is sometimes a reddish tinge at the base of the beak. The sexes are similar and the adult bird is about 37 cm (15 in) long. The plumage is generally black with a bluish or purplish gloss, and a row of white spots on the flight feathers giving a white bar on the wings in flight. The long, graduated tail has white spots at the edge. == Distribution and habitat == It is found in eastern Africa, its range including Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan at altitudes of up to about 2,000 m (6,600 ft). It is a bird of woodland, scrubby areas, forest edges, and gallery forests, and among large trees such as Acacias growing in wadis. == Ecology == The black-billed wood hoopoe…