Tkachik
Weaver birds are the most common savannah birds in Africa. They begin to nest with the beginning of the first rains in the savannah. During dry periods, these birds very much resemble disheveled and inconspicuous sparrows and fly in flocks.
But with the arrival of the rains, everything changes dramatically. Male weaver birds wear colorful outfits, most often in rich red-black or yellow-black tones. Flocks of birds disperse during the mating season and form pairs.
When a male flirts with a female, his bright feathers resemble lightning stopped on a tree. They fluff up their colorful feathers and thus visually become much larger.
Tall grass near wetlands are the favorite places of these wonderful birds. Each male guards his territory with utmost zeal, allowing only his females into it, who must lay eggs.
In the photo there is a weaver bird
Climate
In areas located near the equator, climatic conditions are characterized by elevated temperatures, dryness and heavy rainfall in certain months. These places are the so-called savannah zone. The largest region of this type of climate is located in Africa.
The African savannah zone is located in the middle between two tropical zones. Here the Sun reaches its zenith most of all. This phenomenon occurs around the solstice and results in unusual heat. Therefore, a huge amount of sea water evaporates, and then comes the season of heavy rains. Such changes in nature usually occur in March and September. In the areas of the African savanna that are closest to the equator, these two rainy seasons have such close temporal boundaries that they sometimes almost merge into one. The total duration of such a period in savannas is 8-9 months.
Yellow-billed Toko
This amazing bird also lives in the savannah and belongs to the rhinoceros family. Their distinguishing feature is their huge beaks. At first glance, this massive beak seems heavy. In fact, this is not the case because it consists of spongy bone tissue.
They set up their housing in hollows. Moreover, females with babies remain in these hollows. The male walls up the entrance to it with clay. At the same time, it leaves only a small hole in order to transfer food to them.
Birds choose this tactic in order to protect themselves and their offspring from possible enemies. The female has been gaining a lot of weight over this entire period. Local residents consider it a great delicacy. These birds are omnivores. In difficult times they do not disdain carrion.
In the photo the yellow-billed toko bird
Jumpers
Four-toed jumper
Four-toed jumper
The four-toed jumper lives in forests, mountainous areas and wet savannas of central and southern Africa.
Short-eared jumper
Short-eared Jumper
This cute animal also has another name - elephant jumper. And it’s quite clear why. Its elongated muzzle resembles an elephant's trunk.
In addition, this jumper has a small body covered with soft fur, a long tail, small round ears, short thin legs equipped with toes and claws.
The short-eared jumper lives in the bush savannas and semi-deserts of southern Africa.
This is a diurnal animal that loves to bask in the sun and roll in the dust. But if predators do not allow it to find food during the day, the elephant leaper will go hunting at dusk.
It feeds not only on invertebrates (in particular, ants and termites), but also loves berries, shoots and plant roots.
The short-eared jumper's lifespan is about two years.
African marabou
These birds of southern Africa are classified as storks. They are distinguished from storks by their huge beak, which is as wide at the base as the bird’s head. Like many similar birds, their heads are not feathered, but covered with liquid fluff.
The birds' heads are red and their necks are blue. There is a noticeable pink bag on the neck, which does not look very attractive. The marabou places its massive beak on it.
The bird's appearance, frankly speaking, is not at all attractive. Adding just a little elegance to it is the collar of white feathers around its neck. In order to look for prey, the bird has to fly up and hover until something catches its eye.
With its powerful beak, the bird can easily manage to tear even the skin of a buffalo. It is interesting to watch the process of eating marabou. The bird deftly throws the tidbit up and, having caught it, swallows it.
Marabou is a frequent visitor to garbage dumps, where he finds various garbage for himself. These birds make their nesting grounds in the vicinity of pelicans, along the banks of reservoirs.
African marabou bird
Secretary Bird
birds of Africa look beautiful This is the only species of secretary that belongs to the order of birds of prey in Africa. Tall and long-legged birds live in the savannas of sub-Saharan Africa. Their distinctive feature is the feathers on their heads, which usually hang down from them, and when excited, the birds rise up.
The bird spends almost all its free time searching for food. The secretary walks around the ground and looks out for his prey. Lizards, snakes, small animals and locusts are their favorite food.
The secretary deals with large prey using kicks and beaks. Their claws are significantly different from the claws of other birds of prey. The secretary's ones are blunt and wide. They are ideal for running, but not for grabbing prey. At night, secretaries sit on trees, where their nests are located.
In the photo there is a secretary bird
golden mole
Golden mole
Golden moles inhabit areas of southeast Africa with soft soils.
Golden moles are small animals (up to 25 cm) with a strong body, thick fur of yellow-brown, greenish or red color, a flattened head, small ears, underdeveloped tail and eyes, short powerful paws with webbed toes.
The golden mole has a ossified end of its muzzle, and its nostrils are closed by valves - all this helps the animal during “earth work.”
Golden moles dig out multi-tiered underground passages that end in leaf-lined “apartments.”
They feed on living creatures that can be found in the ground - worms, insects, lizards.
Stork
These are birds that winter in Africa. They are the longest-distance migrants. In order to get from Europe to South Africa they have to travel up to 10,000 km. For wintering, storks choose regions of the Sahara.
People have created many legends about this bird. The bird is truly a symbol of kindness and happiness. The myth that storks bring children is the most widespread and persistent. It has long been noticed that the residents of houses where storks live are always happy.
These large birds are very careful. Their appearance has long been familiar to everyone. The bird has high and slender legs. She has a long neck and an equally long beak. The plumage is most often white with black wings.
But there are also black storks. For food, they hunt various birds in reservoirs and often eat locusts. Currently, these birds are becoming less and less numerous, so they are taken under reliable protection.
In the photo there are storks birds
Diet of toucans
Basically, toucans are herbivorous birds. They are very fond of fruits and berries; they can also eat the flowers of some tropical plants. In this case, the bird, sitting on a fairly thick branch, stretches its head and, using its beak, reaches for a tasty fruit or berry. If it were not for the long beak, it would be impossible for the heavy toucan to reach the fruits, mainly growing on very thin branches that cannot support the weight of such a large bird.
In addition, these birds can also eat animal food: spiders, insects, frogs, lizards, small snakes. On occasion, he is not averse to treating himself to the eggs of other birds or their chicks.
Crowned Crane
Crowned or peacock cranes are widespread throughout tropical Africa. The birds were given such an interesting name due to their gorgeous fan-shaped crest.
The bird has interesting dances. Cranes dance at the slightest excitement. Any interesting phenomenon causes a bird standing on a sandy surface to start dancing.
In the process, another bird joins this movement, then another, thus creating a kind of bird disco, in which they jump up sometimes higher than 1 meter, spreading their wings and lowering their limbs, while making dancing movements. Sometimes one leg is used in the dance, sometimes both.
Crowned Crane
honey guide
There are 13 species of these birds on the planet. 11 of them can be seen in Africa. Tiny birds, the size of a starling or sparrow, prefer to live in tropical forests. They don't like large gatherings.
They jump in splendid isolation on branches, resembling titmice. They eat various insects, which are collected from branches and caught in the air. For many honeyguides, their favorite food is bee larvae, honeycombs and the honey contained in them.
They may notice a hollow with honeycombs in a place that is not very accessible to them. Without retreating, they begin to fly next to him. Thus attracting everyone's attention. Everyone in the area notices the breeding season of birds.
They begin to loudly drum their beaks on the dried branches, perform current flights and scream while sitting on the branches. Honeyguides are also called nest parasites. Birds lay their eggs in the nests of woodpeckers and warts.
Honeyguide bird
Kestrel
Great African Kestrel
Greater African Kestrel
The Greater African Kestrel is common in the deserts, semi-deserts and savannas of southeastern Africa.
This is a small bird of prey: its body length is about 35 cm, its wingspan is about 80 cm.
The great African kestrel feeds on small birds, lizards, reptiles and rodents.
fox kestrel
Fox Kestrel
The Fox Kestrel lives in some areas of Central Africa.
Prefers to live near rocks and hills. Hunts by sitting in ambush on a rock or tree. Seeing the prey, the fox kestrel jumps out from the shelter and catches the prey. Its “dinner” is lizards, rodents and insects.
Song Shrike
The song shrike is a bird of eastern Africa. His beautiful, organ-like voice alerts everyone that water is nearby. Every bird sound is filled with extraordinary beauty. The slow and deep tempo of the melodies is heard over the smoothly flowing river.
Moreover, both birds from the pair take part in singing. One bird manages to produce full, but at the same time soft sounds that seem quite strong up close. The second one makes sounds in time with it, reminiscent of a flute. And when these two singings intertwine with each other, it is difficult to find something more pleasant.
Pictured is a song shrike
brilliant starling
In Africa, of all starlings, the shiny ones predominate. In size, these birds resemble ordinary starlings, only they have a chic color consisting of green, blue, black, purple, bronze tones decorated with a metallic sheen. They are called “bright radiance” or “reflection of the sun’s rays”.
The photo shows a brilliant starling
Flamingo
Many people know about this unusually beautiful bird. Her grace and beauty make you fall in love with her at first sight. The bird belongs to the flamingoformes genus. The pink flamingo is the only one of all species of these birds that has surprisingly long legs and neck.
Its feathers are distinguished by their softness and looseness. The average height of one adult individual reaches up to 130 cm, with an average weight of about 4.5 kg. Flamingos feed on insects, worms, small crustaceans, algae and mollusks.
These are nesting birds that build their homes in mud compactions. Birds use large quantities of shells, mud and silt for building materials. The shape of the nests resembles a cone.
Flamingo bird
Copepods (Pelecaniformes)
Cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae)
The shore cormorant (Phalacrocorax neglectus) is an endangered species
Cape cormorant (Phalacrocorax capensis) - an endangered species
Persian cormorant (Phalacrocorax nigrogularis) - vulnerable species
Shoebills (Balaenicipitidae)
Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) - vulnerable species
Gannets (Sulidae)
Cape gannet (Morus capensis) is a vulnerable species
Pelicans (Pelecanidae)
Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) - vulnerable species
African ostrich
It is the largest bird on the African continent. The giant bird is found everywhere in Africa, but is most preferred in deserts and open areas. Ostriches do not like mountain ranges.
The African ostrich is considered the largest feathered creature in the world's fauna. Its height reaches up to 3 meters, and its weight can reach up to 160 kg. Despite their size, birds can reach high speeds of up to 72 km/h. They love to eat grass, leaves, seeds and fruits.
Birds prefer to stay in small groups. During nesting, the male pairs with a couple of females. After which one of them remains next to the male and incubates all the eggs. Such collective clutches can contain about 40 eggs.
During the daytime, the dominant female takes care of the eggs, but at night she is replaced by the male. The chicks that are born are also under the care of the same couple for some time.
The male ostrich is a truly brave and selfless father who guards his babies with utmost vigilance. If necessary, ostriches attack without even the slightest sense of fear when their chicks are under threat.
African ostrich
Reproduction and offspring
Toucans create pairs for many years and after this, as a rule, they do not change partners.
These birds nest in tree hollows, where they lay 1 to 4 white, oval-shaped eggs right in the wood dust, which both parents incubate in turn. In this case, the incubation period ranges from two weeks: this is how long it lasts in small species. Larger toucans incubate their eggs slightly longer.
Toucan chicks are born completely helpless: naked, red-skinned and blind. Their eyes open very late - after about 3 weeks. Young toucans are also in no hurry to fledge: even at one month of age, they still don’t really grow feathers.
This is interesting! Toucan chicks have heel calluses on their feet, which protect them from chafing, since babies have to sit in the nest for two months, and the bedding in the toucan nest is not soft.
The chicks are fed by the father and mother together, and in some species they are also helped by relatives and other members of the flock.
After the little toucans fledge and learn to fly, their parents return with them to their flock.
Return to content
Bustard
It is part of some of the largest flying birds in the world. The male has a body length of 1 meter and weighs 16 kg. Sometimes the weight of bustards exceeds 20 kg. These large, brown-colored birds nest on the ground. Eats mostly plant-based foods.
In spring, bustards undergo mating. The males' feathers fluff up, they become rather strange-looking, resembling huge balls. Pairs do not form among these birds.
The female alone is responsible for incubating and raising the babies. They lay mostly 2 eggs. For young bustards, insects are their favorite food. The period of maturation in birds begins late, females mature at 2-4 years, males even later - at 5-6 years.
In the photo there is a bustard bird
Cape vulture
Cape vulture
The Cape vulture is a 12-kilogram bird of prey with a wingspan of 2.5 m. It lives in the southern part of South Africa.
The population of the Cape vulture is small - only ten thousand birds. Two thirds of this population live in Marakele National Park (northern South Africa, Limpopo province).
This feathered scavenger prefers rocky areas.
Unfortunately, there are cases of destruction of these birds. The natives of South Africa use the dried brains of these vultures to predict the future, in particular, many birds die before the World Cup when locals try to predict the results of matches in such a wild way.
Eagle buffoon
This majestic bird of prey is 60 cm long and weighs up to 3 kg. Thanks to its courage and audacity, the eagle attacks mongooses, hyraxes and dwarf antelopes. Practices stealing children from foxes and jackals. Sometimes eagles take food from flying birds that are stronger than them, thanks to their amazing ability to fly quickly.
Their nests are visible in the highest places of trees. Eagles lay only one egg, which they incubate for about 45 days. The chick grows at a slow pace. Only by the fourth month do the chicks begin to fly. Buffoon eagles perform excellent aerobatics. These excellent skills, flight speed and unsurpassed beauty have long made the bird a symbol of the African sky.
In the photo there is a buffoon eagle
African peacock
In terms of its appearance, this bird strongly resembles an ordinary peacock, only it has less colorful plumage and a slightly different appearance at the tail. The color is dominated by green, purple, bronze tones.
The head of the African peacock is decorated with a beautiful bunch-shaped crest. The bird's tail is painted in green, black, blue and dark green tones. The bird's beak is bluish-gray.
They prefer to live at an altitude of 350-1500 meters. To hatch eggs, peacocks choose high stumps, crevices of broken trunks, and mossy forks of branches. There are from 2 to 4 eggs in a treasure. The female does the incubation. At this time, the male is engaged in protecting the nest. The incubation period lasts 25-27 days.
African peacock
Sunbird
Many names of African birds literally depend on their occupation. This also applies to the small bright sunbird. They live in the forests of the African tropics. Like hummingbirds, sunbirds can hover in the air.
They do this with a flower in their beak, from which they suck nectar in flight. Birds achieve this trick thanks to their beak, which cannot be confused with anyone else’s. Unique in everything, these birds are a real decoration of the African continent.
Sunbird
