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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
hammerkop,
hammerhead stork, anvilhead |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Ciconiiformes |
| FAMILY: |
Scopidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Scopus (broom made of twigs) umbretta
(umbrella crest) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
All brown body; partly webbed toes; short tail and
huge wings; crest on the back of the head; thick,
long beak |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
|
| SIZE: |
47.5-50 cm (19-20 in.) |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
|
| WEIGHT: |
415-430 g (14.5-15.05 oz.) |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
|
| DIET: |
Frogs (especially Xenopus laevis or the platanna
frog), fish, and invertebrates |
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| INCUBATION: |
30 days |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
3-7
days |
| FLEDGING
DURATION |
7
weeks |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
text |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
text |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| RANGE: |
South and Central Africa, South Arabia, and lowland
Madagascar |
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| HABITAT: |
Shallow freshwater lakes, ponds, swamps, and marshes
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|
| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
text |
| LOCAL |
text |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
text |
| CITES |
Not listed |
| USFWS |
Not listed |
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|
| 1. |
Hammerkops
are the smallest African stork. |
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| 2. |
Hammerkops sometimes participate in group ceremonies.
As many as ten birds call loudly while running round
each other in circles. Next, a male will pretend
to copulate with a female. With their crest raised,
wings fluttering, a chorus of cries continues for
several minutes. Only after this elaborate display,
does breeding take place. |
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| 3. |
These birds are famous for their strong, three-tiered
nests. The nest is up to 180 cm (6 ft.) high, 180
cm (6 ft.) wide, and can weigh 24.75-49.5 kg (55-110
lbs.)! It is made of sticks, reeds, grass, and dead
plant stems placed in a tree fork, on a cliff or
on the ground. Such a structure takes 3 to 4 months
to build and can easily support a human's weight! |
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| 4. |
Hammerhead
birds are often seen perching on the back of hippopotamuses,
searching for frogs. |
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| 5. |
These
birds are notorious for their nest-building habits.
In fact, they often provide nests for other species
such as certain owls, geese, ducks, kestrels, and
pigeons. |
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| 6. |
text |
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According to superstitions, hammerkops are bad omens,
and it is considered bad luck to harm them. Such
superstitions have kept the birds somewhat protected.
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| |
|
|
| Gotch,
A.F. Birds-Their Latin Names Explained. Poole,
Dorst: Blandford Press, 1981. |
|
|
Perrins, Dr. Christopher M. The Illustrated Encyclopedia
of Birds: The Definitive Reference to Birds of the
World. New York: Prentice Hall Press. 1990. |
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Perrins, Dr. Christopher. Birds: Their Life
, Their Ways, Their World. New York: The Reader's
Digest Association, Inc., 1979.
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| Perrins,
Dr. Christopher M. And Dr. Alex L.A. Middleton,
eds. The Encyclopedia of Birds. New York: Facts
on File Pub., 1985. |
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