62 THE WORLD'S BIRDS. 



Disposition and Habits. — The typical Hoopoes are 

 solitary and quiet, the Kakelaars social and 

 noisy. 



Economic Qualities. — These birds are most useful 

 insect-destroyers, and also very ornamental. 

 The Common Hoopoe is eaten in Southern Europe. 



Captivity. — The Common Hoopoe has been often 

 kept, and is obtainable yearly ; when hand-reared 

 it is very tame, and can be allowed to fly loose. 

 It has never bred in captivity. 



Distribution and Important Species. — These birds 

 inhabit the warm and temperate parts of the Old 

 World ; there are less than twenty species. The 

 typical Hoopoes, which are all much like the 

 common European bird, sandy, black and white, 

 with a large, erectile, fan-shaped, cinnamon crest, 

 range widely all across the Old World, except in the 

 Australian region. The Common Hoopoe is migra- 

 tory, but the more richly-coloured forms peculiar 

 to the Indian region and Africa are resident. The 

 crestless, long-tailed Wood-hoopoes are peculiar to 

 Africa south of the Sahara ; the best known is the 

 Kakelaar (Irrisor erythorhynchus) , a metallic-black, 

 long-tailed bird, with the wings and tail marked 

 with white, and scarlet bill and feet, which is a 

 common and familiar species. 



HoRNBiLLS [Bucerotidce). 



Diagnosis. — Perching birds of large size, with huge, 

 usually curved, hills and four-toed feet, the two outer 

 front toes united. 



Size. — From that of a hen turkey to that of a pigeon. 



Form. — Bill large, curved in profile, stout, usually sur- 

 mounted by an excrescence in the adult ; nostrils 

 behind the base, corner of mouth below eye. 



