Hamerkop

Description:

The hamerkop is a unique species of wading bird and is medium-sized. Its plumage is a drab brown with purple iridescence on the back The tail is faintly barred with darker brown. The bill is long, 80 to 85 mm and slightly hooked at the end. It resembles the bill of a shoebill, and is quite compressed and thin, particularly at the lower half of the mandible. The bare parts of the legs are black and the legs are feathered only to the upper part of the tibia. The hamerkop has, for unknown reasons, partially webbed feet. The middle toe is comb-like (pectinated) like a heron's Its tail is short, When it flys, it stretches its neck forward like a stork or ibis, but when it flaps, it coils its neck back something like a heron. Its gait when walking is jerky and rapid, with its head and neck moving back and forth with each step.

Habitat:

Seen here on the edge of a rice paddy. The nests are amazing structures, huge jumbles of anything they can find including plastic bags, old flip-flops and cloth!

Notes:

It requires shallow water in which to forage, and is found in all wetland habitats, including rivers, streams, seasonal pools, estuaries, reservoirs, marshes, mangroves, irrigated land such as rice paddies