Africa: Kruger National Park Game Drive/Birds

Cape Glossy Starling

Kruger has 517 species of birds of which 253 are residents, 117 non-breeding migrants and 147 nomads. Six have been assigned to a grouping called the "Big Six Birds.” They are the Lappet-faced Vulture, Martial Eagle, Saddle-billed Stork, Kori Bustard, Ground Hornbill and Pel's Fishing Owl. We did not do as well with the Big Six as we did with the Big Five animals. We saw only one – the Lappet-faced Vulture.

Lappet-faced Vulture

But, we did see lots and lots of birds – at least 50 different species – in Kruger National Park. And, I got photos of most, but not all of them. Once again, I won’t go in order – and I won’t give you detailed narratives on every bird, but let me show you some that I didn’t already list in my first post on Kruger (and maybe a few that I did).

One of the most iconic African birds is the Hornbill and we saw three of the nine varieties found in South Africa (there are 24 species across the continent) …

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill

… a female African Grey Hornbill (you can tell it is female because of the small amount of red on the bill) …

African Grey Hornbill

… a Southern Red-billed Hornbill …

Southern Red-billed Hornbill

… and several Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills ...

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills 

Hornbills are characterized by a long, down-curved bill that is frequently brightly colored. Supported by powerful neck muscles as well as fused vertebrae, the large bill assists in fighting, preening, constructing the nest and catching prey.

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill 

A feature unique to the hornbills is the casque, a hollow structure that runs along the upper mandible. 

In some species, including the Southern Yellow- and Red-billed Hornbills, the casque is barely perceptible and appears to serve no function beyond reinforcing the bill. 

In other species it is large, reinforced with bone and has openings between the hollow center, allowing it to serve as a call resonator. The African Grey Hornbill has a slightly more noticeable casque. Some other Hornbills have huge casques.

Hornbills have binocular vision, but, unlike most birds with this type of vision, they can see their own bill tips, aiding in precision handling of food.

Among the first birds we saw when we embarked upon our game drive was a striking raptor sitting in a tree – it was a Dark Chanting Goshawk, named for its complex call that sounds like a chant. The one we saw was silent.

Dark Chanting Goshawk

Throughout the day, we encountered a number of other raptors, including a soaring Bateleur, so called because its flight resembles the movements of a tightrope walker (“Bateleur” is French for “street performer”). We never saw a sitting one, probably because a hunting Bateleur covers a territory of approximately 250 square miles a day. It’s a big bird, with a wingspan of about 6 ft.

Bateleur

Caty has a great spot when she saw a Verreaux's (Giant) Eagle-Owl sitting in a tree. No one else spotted it and we had to back-up to get a good view. It was probably the most excited Caty was on the entire trip – and for good reason. 

Verreaux's Eagle-Owl

Pink eyelids

The largest owl in South Africa, the Verreaux's Eagle-Owl stands more than 2 ft. high, with a wingspan of over 5 ft. and has pink eyelids. No other owl species in the world has pink eyelids. Verreaux's Eagle-Owls are nocturnal and roost by day in trees. Breeding pairs and their offspring frequently roost together and may preen each other. 

It is believed that some family groups include Eagle-Owls that had hatched up to three years earlier, which is unusual for any type of large owl species.

This Verreaux's was alone, but posed nicely for us, turning from side to side as we photographed it.

We saw a soaring Black-shouldered Kite, another bird that we saw only in the air. This is a relatively small raptor, with a 30-inch wingspan. It has vibrant red eyes, which we really couldn’t see very well as it was soaring.

Black-shouldered Kite

According to our guide, we had another special treat -- a perching White-backed Vulture. We had seen several soaring – here and at the Three Rondevals, but they are seldom seen at rest. This one also posed for us.

White-backed Vulture

In addition to the resting Lappet-faced Vulture I mentioned earlier, we saw one flying and one flapping his wings as he walked about on the river shore. It was a good raptor day.

Lappet-faced Vulture

I really wanted to see brightly colored birds on this trip. I didn’t see as many as I wanted in Kruger, but I was thrilled to see my #1 objective, the Lilac-breasted Roller, several times.

Lilac-breasted Roller

Bigger than I expected – at an average length of 14.5 inches, the Lilac-breasted Roller is a festival of colors – green, brown, blue, turquoise, white, black and, of course, lilac. They get their name from their courtship flight, a fast, shallow dive from considerable elevation with a rolling or fast rocking motion, accompanied by loud raucous calls.

Other bright birds included the African Firefinch …

African Firefinch

The Black-headed Oriole …

Black-headed Oriole

The Blue Waxbill, which flew in large flocks, but almost always escaped my camera…

Blue Waxbill

Laughing Doves …

Laughing Doves

Another Brown-headed Parrot …

Brown-headed Parrot

Another Crested Barbet …

Crested Barbet

The Common Waxbill (well, its plumage isn’t particularly bright, but its bill and face are) …

Common Waxbill

The African Green Pigeon …

African Green Pigeon

The Greater Blue-eared Starling, even prettier than the Cape Glossy Starling …

Greater Blue-eared Starling

The Green Wood-Hoopoe (this one was magnificent, but rather far away in low light; it was tough to photograph). It took me forever to find it – way after everyone else in the vehicle. This one made me think I was losing my spotting skills ...

Green Wood-Hoopoe

Quite a few birds in Africa (and, I guess everywhere else) are black and white. Among the ones we saw were the African Pied Crow …

African Pied Crow

The Black Crake, with its amusing walk …

Black Crake

More Blacksmith Lapwings …

Blacksmith Lapwing

Another Common Ostrich (just one … I thought we would see more Ostriches) …

Common Ostrich

And a Pied Kingfisher, one of seven Kingfisher varieties in South Africa (we saw two – and then one more in Zimbabwe) …

Pied Kingfisher

Since we passed by a number of rivers, ponds and watering holes, we saw a few water birds, but not a lot of ducks.

We saw a Three-banded Plover, which looked a lot like a Killdeer …

Three-banded Plover

A Water Thick-Knee, which was very well camouflaged and not inclined to move …

Water Thick-Knee

Several White-crowned Lapwings, with their striking blue eyes and yellow facial wattles …

White-crowned Lapwing

African Jacanas, with their blue and brown markings and, like the Crake, an interesting gait …

African Jacana

Another bird I really wanted to see – and did – was the Hamerkop. The name is Dutch for “Hammer Head,” which is obvious when you see its crest. This one not only posed ...

Hamerkop

... it also flew for me …

Hamerkop

… but, this one wouldn’t show me his face …

Hamerkop

There are six species of Cormorants/Darters in South Africa. I had seen Cape Cormorants at the Cape of Good Hope. In Kruger, we saw an African Darter, which I didn’t get a picture of.

But, I did capture a White-breasted Cormorant …

White-breasted Cormorant

 … and a Reed Cormorant …

Reed Cormorant

The only duck I saw was a male Comb Duck (Knob-billed Duck), with its interesting head decoration ...

Comb Duck

The last of the water birds is a big one – I could tell that even though it was very far away. The Goliath Heron stands up to 5 ft. tall and has a wingspan of 7.5 ft. That is about 25 percent larger than a Great Blue Heron ...

Goliath Heron

Two of the birds we saw have a very symbiotic relationship with large game.

Almost exclusively carnivorous, the Forked-tail Drongo follows game to eat bugs disturbed by animals. Seeing them is a clue that there may be large mammals or a herd of animals nearby.

Forked-tail Drongo

Often seen sitting on Hippos or riding on Rhinos, the Red-billed Oxpecker is a member of the starling and myna family. They eat mainly ticks, seeking their preferred food – blood. They will also feed directly on blood, pecking at the host’s wounds to keep them open ...

Red-billed Oxpeckers on a Rhino

Among the ground birds we saw were Natal Spurfowl Chicks …

Natal Spurfowl Chicks

… and Swainson’s Spurfowl, which escaped my camera.

We saw two types of storks, including some Wooly-necked Storks flying by …

Wooly-necked Stork

And, a Yellow-billed Stork hanging out with some Hippos and Crocodiles …

Yellow-billed Stork

Among our favorite birds were the Grey Go-Away-Birds, a pretty crested Lourie with a long tail and a distinctive cry – the actually sound like they are crying, “Go Away, Go Away, Go Away ..”

Grey Go-Away-Birds

And, in the midst of all these dramatic, brightly colored, large or unique birds, there was a drab little Willow Warbler. Cute, but rather plain in comparison ...

Willow Warbler

And, of course, there were the ones that got away – birds we saw but never got a picture of – Arrow-Marked Babblers, a Chinspot Batis, a Crested Falcolin, a Hooded Vulture, Red-faced Mousebirds and the magnificent Magpie Shrike.

So, even though this wasn’t a bird watching trip and some of our travelers were not interested in stopping for birds (except maybe Hornbills and the bigger raptors), our guides pointed out quite a few and I got some nice pictures.

Lilac-breasted Roller

Trip date: August 25-September 9, 2017