Brad took this photograph of three Violet Wood Hoopoes, Phoeniculus damarensis, while we were on a morning birding trip on August 14, 2012. We were walking along the banks of the dry Huab River bed when we saw this group of Wood Hoopoes fly into a distant tree. With a lot of bobbing up and down, they gave each other a raucous greeting...amazing and wonderful to watch. This species is a monogamous, cooperative breeder (non-breeding birds help the breeding pair with incubation and caring of the young). The population of this species is small and localized, with an estimated 1,650 birds scattered across Namibian and Angolan Mopane woodlands. Features of this species include a long red decurved bill, short red legs, dark violet-blue to blackish coloration, and outer tail retrices covered with white spotting. Temperatures were in the low 60's on this clear morning with blue skies.