Ethiopia (Gambella region) - Green or Violet wood-hoopoe? (1 Viewer)

[JSmolders]

Location: Ethiopia - Gambella Region - 600m above Sea level -500 meters from Baro River inside wide compound with few people and lots of vegetation.

Time: 14:30, SEP 23 2018 (Transition period from rainy to dry season, it was a hot dry day).

Behavior: male and female pair hopping around in mid-canopy giving little chupping noises. Quite shy and aware of me.

Notes: Often heard this cackling fellow, finally got a good picture of him. For distribution, this is most likely the Green Wood-Hoopoe, but I wanted to double check on the small chance that it might be Violet. This picture was captured within 500 meters of the Baro River, and the VWH is associated with riverene environments. I have seen the GWH before, but far out in the dry bushy areas of Gambella. Also the gloss on this guy just looks more violet to me.

So, any other clues I might be missing? Is it Green or Violet?

Thanks!

 

[Andy Adcock]

I can see green on the head and the bill length looks good for Green too?

SASOL, shows a lack of white spots in the closed wing of Violet, is that correct?

 

[Valéry Schollaert]

Location: Ethiopia - Gambella Region - 600m above Sea level -500 meters from Baro River inside wide compound with few people and lots of vegetation.

Time: 14:30, SEP 23 2018 (Transition period from rainy to dry season, it was a hot dry day).

Behavior: male and female pair hopping around in mid-canopy giving little chupping noises. Quite shy and aware of me.

Notes: Often heard this cackling fellow, finally got a good picture of him. For distribution, this is most likely the Green Wood-Hoopoe, but I wanted to double check on the small chance that it might be Violet. This picture was captured within 500 meters of the Baro River, and the VWH is associated with riverene environments. I have seen the GWH before, but far out in the dry bushy areas of Gambella. Also the gloss on this guy just looks more violet to me.

So, any other clues I might be missing? Is it Green or Violet?

Thanks!

Violet doesn't not occur there, it is a very rare bird along the Kenya border in extrême south Ethiopia. Therefore, you can be safe with Green Woodhoopoe.

 

[JSmolders]

PFG Shows white on closed wing of both GWH and VWH. Notes that VWH has green restricted to throat, which it looks like in this pic, but that could be a trick of the lighting.

 

[JSmolders]

Thanks Valéry, I realize it is rare and not supposed to occur here, and that it is likely a Green... but I have seen many many birds here in Gambella in my time that are not supposed to be here. It's a remote spot, not a lot of birders and even less reliable data, so I thought I'd check for thoroughness' sake

 

[birdboybowley]

Indeed, birds turn up where you least expect them - even in more well-watched spots! We had a Cricket Longtail in Awash NP last October which certainly wasn't on the cards....

 

[Valéry Schollaert]

Thanks Valéry, I realize it is rare and not supposed to occur here, and that it is likely a Green... but I have seen many many birds here in Gambella in my time that are not supposed to be here. It's a remote spot, not a lot of birders and even less reliable data, so I thought I'd check for thoroughness' sake ��

Little known places in Africa are good for discoveries indeed.

However, here Violet W.H. will not occur in Western Ethiopia because there is Green Wood-Hoopoe there. Their range are parapatric, which means you have either one or the other, and seeing them together is possible only in a narrow area that is the limit of range for both.

They are too closely related to live together, almost as subspecies, and it is not impossible that granti will be lumped with Phoeniculus purpureus in the future.

The Green Wood-Hoopoe that occur immediately West of the range of granti, possibly through recent or even actual genetic "pollution" (fertile hybridation), is indeed more similar to granti than other Green Wood-Hoopoes are. It is called Phoeniculus purpureus niloticus. According to HBW Alive, it is the one that live in Western Ethiopia... you can therefore safely name your bird Green Wood-Hoopoe.