Reader John O’Neall sent some splendid pictures of African birds along with his notes (indented):
You asked for animal pix and I have some. They were taken in October 2012 in Tanzania. Folks usually go ape over big mammals in Africa, and with good reason. But I found the birds to be more fascinating because they were unexpected, at least to my wife and me. The first three were in Tarangire National Park.
Superb starling (Lamprotornis superbus):
Hamerkop (“Hammerhead”; Scopus umbretta):
Lilac-breasted roller (Coracias caudatus): I have never seen such amazing colors on any bird.
The next three were in Serengeti NP.
Shelley’s starling (Lamprotornis shelleyi). These starlings are far more colorful than the ones we have known before in the USA or Europe.
A closeup of a yellow-billed oxpecker (Buphagus africanus). In this photo, he is pecking a giraffe, whose spots are easily recognizable.
African hoopoe (JAC: Upupa epops, a great name!). You can recognize him easily by his crown and his stripes and colors. Quite unique, I think. We have seen three of them: This one in Tanzania, one at Khajuraho, in India; and one in our own back yard, outside of Lyon, France. So this bird gets around. We also saw a poster on a wall at a small museum on Elephantine Island (Aswan) saying that the hoopoe was the messenger between King Soleman [sic] and the Queen of Shepa [sic]!
The last three were in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius), certainly the oddest named of the bunch and one of the biggest. Its name may be due to its looking like it has stuck quills behind its ears the way we do pencils. Wikipedia tells me the earliest fossils of this bird were found not in Africa but in France, a fact that I find interesting because that is where I now live.
Grey-crowned crane (Balearica regulorum), easily the most regal bird we saw.
Kori bustard (Ardeotis kori):
We have a lot more on our site (here—or here for bigger pix).
Wow. That IS a supurb starling!
These are wonderful photos. Thanks, John!
The lilac-breasted roller has a colour palette that would be exquisite on a handpainted silk kimono.
Okay, now I’m going to have to move my bird feeders and bird baths to Africa. Sparrows, robins, blackbirds, and the occasional excitement of a cardinal or bluejay pales in comparison.
Follow the birds. The first ardent birdwatcher I knew got malaria on his first trip to Africa…
Such colourful birds!!
Gorgeous!
Wonderful colourful birds. I recently saw the UK’s most colourful, a kingfisher – on an urban tributary to the Thames.
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Nice! Brought back lots of memories. We, too, were surprised by the birds – not only the number of different species, but also how colorful they were.
The lilac-breasted roller looks like watercolors. What a joy to behold.
Great pictures. And you are totally right to not just take pictures of African mammals. I have never seen many of these birds before, so thank you.
Splendid birds! Some terrific names too. All of them were new to me except the grey-crowned crane and the yellow billed ox-pecker…or in this case, giraffe-pecker. Thanks!
Interesting info – the Kori Bustard is considered the heaviest flying bird in the world. Males may weigh up typ 16kg.
I’m compelled to leave this here:
Groan. But I like that.
I’ve seen Hoopoes in Spain and Tunisia, but my favourite encounter has to be my sole British one. I was cycling home from work one afternoon when a Hoopoe flew in from nowhere and landed in the middle of the road, right in front of my bike.
Enjoyed that bird interlude, nice.
I’ve also always loved the scientific name of the hoopoe. My other favorite is the name of the Greater Honeyguide, which in Africa leads honey badgers and humans to beehives, which are then raided for their honey by the honey badgers or humans. Thereby the bird gains access to the beeswax and larvae. Its scientific name is Indicator indicator.
My experience (mainly Kenya) is that the safari guides, brilliant as they are about mammals, recognise scarcely more than ostriches and secretary birds. I often ask the guide to stop to look at birds. On one trip (when I particularly remember bataleur eagles and a species of jacana), the guide asked for particulars of the bird book that I was using; I presume that he recognised an opportunity to improve his already excellent service.
More that a thousand species of bird are known in Kenya alone: about four times as many as in the UK.
Absolutely gorgeous! 🙂
Wonderful photographs!