Birdies

In this penultimate Journal about my Tanzanian Safari, I am returning to the avian world with some more images of birds - the big, the small, and the fancy.

You cannot go very far in the wild in Southern and Eastern Africa without coming across the largest of living birds - the ostrich (Struthio camelus). These guys are big at about 100 kg and standing 2 - 3 metres tall. Perhaps not surprisingly, ostriches are flightless birds, but they can run at an extraordinary speed of up to 40 mph (70 kph). The males in particular can be very aggressive if challenged or threatened, and can kill with powerful kicks, the claws on their feet being long and sharp. Beware any male ostrich whose legs are red, as this signifies he is on the look out for a bit of houghmagandie with a female (ostrich that is) and is in no mood to pass the time of day with anything else. So, next time you see a passing ostrich, check the legs! Male ostriches are a bit larger than the females with black body feathers, and they wander the savannah with a small harem of 3 to 5 females, greyish brown body feathers, and any chicks. The image below shows a male/female pair, and a chick - well the chick is hidden by the grass, but it is there and the adults are watching over it, particularly as we were present.






Sticking with the big birds, here are two you may have heard of, but probably have never seen: the secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius), and the kori bustard (Ardeotis kori). The secretary bird is instantly recognisable by the those black feathers protruding from the back of the neck - like the quills of old-fashioned pens. Weighing 4-5 kilograms and standing 4 feet high and 5 feet in length, and with a curved beak and eagle like head, the secretary bird is a bird of prey. Although not flightless, it spends most of its time on the ground hunting small mammals, amphibians, and especially snakes - its talons are large and deadly when pinning a snake to the ground.

The kori bustrad is the largest bird capable of flight, typically weighing about 11 kilograms and with height of about 4 feet. They are omnivorous, eating rodents, amphibians, and insects, but they are also happy with grasses, seeds, and so on. They are slow moving on the ground, but repay close attention to their plumage, as the neck feathers have a delicate barring, the head has a characteristic backward point tuft, and the body has what is referred to as cryptically coloured plumage - brown and grey wings and back, and a black/white mottled breast.



   

Lest you think all big birds are a bit drab in colour, here is one of my favourites: the crowned crane (Balearica regulorum). Some of you might recall my encounter with the "tame" crowned crane, Boston, from last year's trip to the Drakensbergs, but this one is as wild as can be, and very happy strolling through some wetland looking for frogs, worms, and snakes.





The colouration of the plumage of birds is an immense topic, about which I know very little. In general, I imagine, the principles of survival, blending in and attraction of a mate will be significant factors. We can see the blending in aspect with the first of the next three images: the grassveld pipet (Anthus cinnamomeus). As usual, it was our guide Alfred who spotted this wee birdie in the grassland of the Ngorongoro Crater. Try as I might I couldn't see the bird at all, although it was only a couple of metres away on the ground in amongst the grass. Then, it moved and my eyes and brain adjusted to see the so-well camouflaged shape. This pipet is very similar to our own UK tree and grass pipets.

The next image shows the striped kingfisher (Halcyon chelicuti), one of the kingfisher species that does not eat fish, but lives on insects, particularly grasshoppers. This species is highly territorial, and is in  direct competition with the lilac-breasted roller. See Focus On - The Lilac-Breasted RollerThe lilac-breasted roller (Coracias caudatus), the national bird of South Africa, is widely spread through the National Parks of Northern Tanzania, and, given its proclivity for perching on bushes and boughs a couple of meters off the ground, spotting and photographing the bird while it sits waiting for insects and other prey, including scorpions and even small birds, to appear is fairly easy. The roller family of birds gets this designation from  a rolling from side to side motion while in flight.

Despite the benign look seen in the first image, the lilac-breasted roller can be a fierce bird with a hooked beak, a pronounced raptor appearance, and feet that verge on talons, as seen below.
  
Just in case you didn't appreciate that "Who are you lookin' at?" attitude in the third shot, here it is again - delivered to you pers. So these two species tend to have their own distinct territories. Regarding colouration and plumage, the striped kingfisher is a bit more vibrant than the pipet with a partially red beak and pale blue tail feathers. As a tree and bush dweller, its plumage allows it to blend in, but also to show that flash of colour when airborne, to ward of its rival rollers, and act as an eye-catching splash for mates.

The third of this set is the variable or yellow-breasted sunbird (Cinnyrus venustus), captured at Gibb's Farm near Ngorongoro. Even though I've caught the focus and exposure correctly, and hit the yellow breast spot on, I have not managed to capture the gorgeous iridescent nature of the deep blue plumage around the head and breast. Curiously, although highly coloured, the sunbird is also a very well camouflaged bird because of the foliage and flowers of the plants and trees in which it is found. The Darwinian idea of adaptation is found everywhere.


    


Finally, two more flamboyant species: a male Von der Decken hornbill (Tockus deckeni) and the aptly named superb starling (Lamprotornus superbus). Why have hornbills developed such dramatic bills, this one being bright orange and creamy white? The female has a black bill, an example of sexual dimorphism. The evolution of such a large bill may have something to do with foraging for food (hornbills are omnivorous), carrying food, and building and protecting the nest. The superb starling is another bird with spectacular iridescent plumage, and a characteristic white iris in the eye. However, its main claim to fame, for me at least, is that these birds are everywhere in Northern Tanzania. You can't go anywhere without one hopping along beside you, looking for a titbit. Just when you settle down to snap a lion, along comes a superb starling to look you in the eye then go warn the lion with a squawk. Enormously colourful with blue, black, turquoise, white and orange plumage, these really are superb, if somewhat annoying, birds.



   




Enough for now. I'll be back in a few days with my final tale of the safari in Tanzania, "Leopards at Last".

Many thanks for faves, comments, and views.

Cheers

David aka Okavanga