20-12-1989 CANAIMA NAT PARK, VENEZUELA - HOATZIN (Opisthocomus hoazin)

The hoatzin, a bird of tropical South America, is a creature of striking peculiarity. With a total length of 65 cm, it is roughly the size of a pheasant, sporting a long neck and a small head. Its appearance is distinguished by an unfeathered blue face with maroon eyes, crowned by a spiky rufous crest. The plumage is predominantly dark, with sooty-brown tail feathers that gleam with a bronze-green hue, ending in a broad, pale band.

When identifying the hoatzin, look for its distinctive blue face and rufous crest. The bird's upper parts are edged with buff, particularly on the wing coverts, while the underparts are a lighter buff color. The crissum, primaries, underwing coverts, and flanks exhibit a rich rufous-chestnut, which becomes apparent as the bird spreads its wings.

The hoatzin is found in the swamps, riparian forests, and mangroves that line the Amazon and Orinoco river basins.

This species is endemic to South America, with its range encompassing the Amazon and Orinoco basins.

The hoatzin is known for its noisy demeanor, emitting a variety of hoarse sounds including groans, croaks, hisses, and grunts. These vocalizations are often accompanied by expressive body movements, such as wing spreading.

The hoatzin's calls are a cacophony of hoarse noises, ranging from groans and croaks to hisses and grunts, which resonate through its marshy habitat.

Hoatzins breed seasonally, with their reproductive timing aligned with the rainy season. They are sociable birds, nesting in small colonies. Their nests are constructed from sticks and are typically positioned over water in seasonally flooded forests. The chicks are reared on a diet of regurgitated, fermented vegetation.

The hoatzin is a folivore, primarily consuming leaves, as well as fruits and flowers on occasion. Its diet includes the foliage of over 50 plant species. The bird's unique digestive system, akin to that of ruminant mammals, allows it to ferment plant material, aiding in digestion.

The hoatzin is currently classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. However, its population may be declining due to habitat loss caused by deforestation in the Amazon.

The hoatzin, a bird as enigmatic as it is distinctive, continues to thrive in the lush waterways of South America, a living testament to the evolutionary tapestry of avian life.

1984 SAMBURU, KENYA - GREEN WOOD HOOPOE (Phoeniculus purpureus)

The green wood hoopoe, Phoeniculus purpureus, is a striking bird native to the African continent. It is a large species, reaching up to 44 cm in length, and is adorned with a lustrous metallic dark green plumage. The bird's back is a resplendent purple, and it boasts a remarkably long, diamond-shaped tail of the same hue. Its wings are marked with distinctive white patterns, and the tail edges are decorated with white chevrons, making it a sight to behold.

Upon sighting, one can identify the green wood hoopoe by its long, thin, and curved red bill, which is a prominent feature against its dark plumage. Both sexes appear similar, though the immature birds can be distinguished by their black bills. The white markings on the wings and tail are key identifiers for this species.

The green wood hoopoe is a common resident of sub-Saharan Africa's forests, woodlands, and even suburban gardens, where it can be seen foraging and socializing in groups.

This bird has a wide range across sub-Saharan Africa, with its presence noted from Senegal to South Africa. It is divided into six recognized subspecies, each occupying different geographical regions within the continent.

1984 SAMBURU, KENYA - SOMALI FISCAL SHRIKE (Lanius somalicus)

The Somali fiscal (Lanius somalicus) is a species of bird in the family Laniidae. Other common names include the Karoli fiscal, the Somali fiscal shrike and the Somali shrike. The bird is found in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia in the Horn of Africa, as well as in Kenya in the African Great Lakes region. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

The Somali fiscal Is found in East Africa, its range including much of Somalia, southern Djibouti, eastern and southern Ethiopia, southeastern South Sudan and northern Kenya. It is mainly found in open grassy habitats and semi-desert areas with some scrub. Where its range overlaps that of the Taita fiscal (Lanius dorsalis), that bird usually inhabits more densely-vegetated and less arid habitats.

Like other shrikes, the Somali fiscal perches in a position where it has a good view all round and pounces on any suitable prey it observes. It feeds mostly on large insects such as grasshoppers, mantises and beetles. Prey is sometimes impaled on thorns for consumption later, and small birds have sometimes been found in these larders. During the breeding season, it will defend the area around its nest, being prepared to attack any bird that ventures near up to the size of a raven. Breeding usually takes place in the rainy season. The nest is usually in a bush, some 1 to 1.5 m (3 to 5 ft) above the ground, with a clutch of four, or sometimes three, eggs being laid. Little is known of incubation and fledging times.

The Somali fiscal has a wide range and is reported to be common in places. The population trend appears to be steady so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the species as being of "least concern".

20-8-1984 SERENGETI NAT PARK, KENYA - NUBIAN WOODPECKER (Campethera nubica)

The Nubian woodpecker (Campethera nubica) is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is distributed widely in Central and Eastern Africa, from Chad in west to Somalia in east and Tanzania in south. It is a fairly common species with a wide range, the population seems stable, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

The Nubian woodpecker Is a medium-sized species growing to a length of about 21 cm (8.3 in). The male has a red crown and nape and a reddish streak on the cheek, while the female has a black crown speckled with white, a red nape, and a dark cheek stripe with white speckling. In other respects, the sexes are similar. The upper parts are olive-brown with much cream speckling and barring. The wings are greenish-brown barred with white and the tail greenish-yellow barred with brown, the shafts of the feathers being gold. The throat is cream and the head, neck, breast and belly are white, spotted and barred with black. The beak is grey with a dark tip, the eye red or pink, the orbital ring grey and the feet olive or grey. Various vocalisations are made, shrill ringing or piping notes repeated, often musical but sometimes metallic. Often sung in duet.

The Nubian woodpecker is endemic to eastern Africa. Its range includes Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Its typical habitat is open savannah woodland, especially with Acacia and Euphorbia, bushy areas and scrub. It is a non-migratory bird, and is found at altitudes up to 2,000 m (6,600 ft).Behaviour and ecology

The Nubian woodpecker often feeds alone, keeping in touch with its mate vocally. It forages mostly in trees, but also on the ground, for ants and termites, also consuming spiders and beetles.

15-8-1984 AMBOSELI, KENYA - SOUTHERN LION (MALE) (Panthera leo ssp. melanochaita)

1984 MASAI MARA, KENYA - IMPALA (Aepyceros melampus)

15-8-1984 AMBOSELI, KENYA - SOUTHERN LION (FEMALE) (Panthera leo ssp. melanochaita)

 

1984 AMBOSELI, KENYA - AFRICAN LION (FEMALE) (Panthera leo)

15-8-1984 AMBOSELI, KENYA - SOUTHERN LION (FEMALE) (Panthera leo ssp. melanochaita)

The Southern lion is a lion subspecies from Southern and East Africa. In this region, lion populations were referred to by several regional names, including Katanga lion, Transvaal lion, Kalahari lion, Southeast African lion, Southwest African lion, Masai lion, Serengeti lion, Tsavo lion, and Uganda lion. It has also been referred to as 'Eastern-Southern African lion', 'Southern lion', and as 'southern subspecies'.

The fur of Southern lions varies in color from light buff to dark brown. They have rounded ears and a black tail tuft. Mane color varies from sandy, tawny, isabelline, and light reddish yellow to dark brown and black. Mane length varies from short to extending to knee joints and under the belly. Lions without a mane were observed in the Tsavo area. Mane development is related to age: older males have more extensive manes than younger ones; manes continue to grow up to the age of four to five years, long after lions become reproductively mature. Males living in the Kenyan highlands develop heavier manes than lions in the more humid and warmer lowlands of eastern and northern Kenya. White lions have occasionally been encountered in and around South Africa's Kruger National Park and the adjacent Timbavati Private Game Reserve. Their whitish fur is a rare morph caused by a double recessive allele. It has normal pigmentation in the eyes and skin. They were removed from the wild in the 1970s, thus decreasing the white lion gene pool.

15-8-1984 AMBOSELI, KENYA - SOUTHERN LION (MALE) (Panthera leo ssp. melanochaita)

 

15-8-1984 MASAI MARA, KENYA - AFRICAN LIONS (Panthera leo)

The lion (Panthera leo) is a large cat of the genus Panthera, native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the tip of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult male lions are larger than females and have a prominent mane. It is a social species, forming groups called prides. A lion's pride consists of a few adult males, related females, and cubs. Groups of female lions usually hunt together, preying mostly on medium-sized and large ungulates. The lion is an apex and keystone predator.

The lion inhabits grasslands, savannahs, and shrublands. It is usually more diurnal than other wild cats, but when persecuted, it adapts to being active at night and at twilight. During the Neolithic period, the lion ranged throughout Africa and Eurasia, from Southeast Europe to India, but it has been reduced to fragmented populations in sub-Saharan Africa and one population in western India. It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996 because populations in African countries have declined by about 43% since the early 1990s. Lion populations are untenable outside designated protected areas. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are the greatest causes for concern.

1984 MOUNTAIN LODGE, KENYA - SOUTHERN RED BILLED HORNBILL (Tockus rufirostris)

1984 MASAI MARA, KENYA - BLACK AND WHITE COLOBUS MONKEY

1984 MASAI MARA, KENYA - YELLOW BABOON (Papio cynocephalus)

1984 MASAI MARA, KENYA - PLAINS ZEBRA (Equus quagga)

1984 MASAI MARA, KENYA - VULTURES AND MALIBOU STORKS

1984 MASAI MARA, KENYA - BLUE WILDEBEEST (Connochaetes taurinus ssp. taurinus)

1984 MASAI MARA, KENYA - GREY HEADED SOCIAL WEAVER (Pseudonigrita arnaudi)

10-8-1984 SERENGETTI, KENYA - RUPPELL'S STARLING (Lamprotornis purpuroptera)

Rüppell's starling (Lamprotornis purpuroptera), also known as Rueppell's glossy-starling or Rueppell's long-tailed starling, is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Chad, Tanzania, and Uganda.

1984 MASAI MARA, KENYA - WHITE BACKED VULTURE (Gyps africanus)

1984 MASAI MARA, KENYA - AFRICAN BUFFALO (Syncerus caffer)

The African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a large sub-Saharan African bovine. There are five subspecies that are recognized as being valid. Syncerus caffer caffer, the Cape buffalo, is the nominotypical subspecies, and the largest one, found in Southern and East Africa. S. c. nanus (the forest buffalo) is the smallest subspecies, common in forest areas of Central and West Africa, while S. c. brachyceros is in West Africa and S. c. aequinoctialis is in the savannas of East Africa. The adult African buffalo's horns are its characteristic feature: they have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield across the top of the head referred to as a "boss". It is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous animals on the African continent, and according to some estimates it gores, tramples, and kills over 200 people every year.

1984 MASAI MARA, KENYA - THOMSON'S GAZELLE (Eudorcas thomsonii)

1984 MASAI MARA, KENYA - IMPALA (Aepyceros melampus)

1984 MASAI MARA, KENYA - PLAINS ZEBRA (Equus quagga)

1984 MASAI MARA, KENYA - AFRICAN LIONS AT A KILL (Panthera leo)