Phoeniculidae - Woodhoopoes, Scimitarbills

The birds in this family are 8-15 inches in length and have long, pointed, curved bills; short, rounded wings; and very long tails. Most species are a shiny green to purplish-black. They have red or black bills and red or black legs.

Woodhoopoes and scimitarbills live in open woodlands and make their nests in holes in trees. When they are on the ground, they hop from place to place instead of walking, They use their long bills to probe for insects in tree bark.

Scimitarbills have bills that are more curved than woodhoopoes. (A scimitar is a curved sword.)

Scimitarbills are sometimes called scimitar-billed hoopoes.

World Status Key
Least Concern Near Threatened Vulnerable Endangered Critically Endangered Extinct in Wild Extinct Not Enough Data
Status and range is taken from ICUN Redlist.

U.S. Status Key Threatened in US Endangered in US Status taken from US Fish and Wildlife Click on U.S. status icon to go to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife species profile.

New Hampshire Status Key Threatened in NH Endangered in NH Introduced Status taken from NH Fish and Game

Location Key
Africa Asia Australia/Oceania Europe North America South America NH Click for More Info Click for Image

Species Around the World
White-headed Woodhoopoe - Phoeniculus bollei Violet Woodhoopoe - Phoeniculus damarensis Green Woodhoopoe - Phoeniculus purpureus Black-billed Woodhoopoe - Phoeniculus somaliensis		Black Scimitarbill - Rhinopomastus aterrimus Forest Scimitarbill - Rhinopomastus castaneiceps Common Scimitarbill - Rhinopomastus cyanomelas Abyssinian Scimitarbill - Rhinopomastus minor

Additional Information

Resource Key
Profile Photos Video Audio Interactive

Abyssinian Scimitarbill - Rhinopomastus minor
The Abyssinian scimitarbill is found in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Black Scimitarbill - Rhinopomastus aterrimus
The black scimitarbill is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, and Uganda.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Black-billed Woodhoopoe - Phoeniculus somaliensis
The black-billed woodhoopoe is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, and Tanzania.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Common Scimitarbill - Rhinopomastus cyanomelas
The common scimitarbill is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Forest Scimitarbill - Phoeniculus castaneiceps
The forest scimitarbill is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Green Woodhoopoe - Phoeniculus purpureus
The green woodhoopoe is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Violet Woodhoopoe - Phoeniculus damarensis
The violet woodhoopoe is found in Angola, Kenya, Namibia, and Tanzania.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

White-headed Woodhoopoe - Phoeniculus bollei
The white-headed woodhoopoe is found in Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School