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 (Bucerotida). 



DIAGNOSIS. Perching birds of large size, with huge, 

 usually curved, bills 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. 



