Previously considered as a subspecies (Upupa epops africana) of the Eurasian hoopoe, it is a resident species of southern Africa.

The African hoopoe was formally described in 1811 by the German naturalist Johann Matthäus Bechstein under the present binomial name Upupa africana.

[4] No eyerings or eye-stripes are present, but the bill is long, dark and narrow and slightly down curved.

[7] When in the air, you'll notice the same black and white striping on the wings and tail on their underside as when they are perched.

[3] A list of countries where the African hoopoe is commonly seen is as follows: South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya and the southern half of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

[7] The biggest threat predatorily are raptor species which include hawks and eagles.

These include Coleoptera, which are beetles, Dermaptera (earwigs) and Orthoptera, grasshoppers, locusts and crickets.

[9] Unlike the rest of the year, African hoopoes maintain a specific territory throughout the breeding season in which they feed.

[13] The mating season begins in mid April where the male seeks out a female and offers her small pieces of food.

The eggs are smooth and blue-green when freshly laid but with age they become rougher and the colour fades.

[7] The greater honeyguide may use the nests of African hoopoes to lay their own eggs making them brood parasites.