Another one from my "difficult to shoot" Wildlife Series. 4 years and scant opportunities for me (of this species). They are near impossible to photograph unless you are in the exact right place, right time :) This one was BiF whilst catching Flying Ants (Termites). They swoop fly, meaning there is a fair amount of vertical up and down movement as they beat their wings. In this case he swooped up from ground level flight to catch the insect. A fair amount of cropping and PP work in PS to get a 'fair' representation. Hand held photo.
The Green Wood Hoopoe (Phoeniculus purpureus) is a large, up to 44 cm long, near-passerine tropical bird native to Africa. It is a member of the family Phoeniculidae, the wood hoopoes, and was formerly known as the Red-billed Wood Hoopoe. They are common but are constantly on the move and very wary. They have the most fabulous laughter/call and are very sociable birds.
Thanks for including a link to full sized version. Even though the size difference is not huge, it makes it much easier to see properly and therefore appreciate. It's very nicely captured with that insect in its beak.
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