Friday, 5 March 2021
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Tuesday, 2 March 2021
17-4-2018 CHOBE RIVER, BOTSWANA - WHITE HEADED LAPWING (Vanellus albiceps)
The White-crowned Lapwing, also known as the White-headed Lapwing, White-headed Plover, or White-crowned Plover, is a medium-sized wader that presents a striking appearance. Its upper body is adorned with a brown back, while the wings and tail exhibit a bold black and white pattern. The underparts are a clean white. The head is particularly distinctive with a grey base, a brilliant white crown, and a white foreneck. Adding to its unique visage are the yellow eyering, facial wattles, and legs. Both sexes and juveniles share a similar plumage, making them indistinguishable in the field.
When attempting to identify the White-crowned Lapwing, look for the unmistakable combination of its white crown, grey head, and the contrasting black and white patterns on its wings and tail. The yellow eyering and wattles are also key features that aid in its identification.
This species is typically found in tropical Africa, favoring habitats near large rivers. It thrives in areas where sand or shingle is exposed, providing suitable breeding grounds.
The White-crowned Lapwing is a resident bird throughout tropical Africa, maintaining a presence year-round near its preferred riverine environments.
The White-crowned Lapwing is known for its breeding behavior, where it lays 2-3 eggs in a ground scrape near rivers. It is fiercely protective of its nest and young, defending them with vigor against any potential threats, regardless of size. Outside of breeding season, it is common to see these birds feeding in small flocks, where they forage for insects and other small invertebrates.
17-4-2018 CHOBE RIVER, BOTSWANA - GREATER KUDU (Tragelaphus Strepsiceros)
The Greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) is a woodland antelope found in Africa. Despite occupying such widespread territory, Greater kudus are sparsely populated in most areas due to declining habitat, deforestation, and poaching.
Greater kudus have a narrow body with long legs, and their coats can range from brown/bluish-grey to reddish-brown. They possess between 4 and 12 vertical white stripes along their torso. The head is usually darker in color than the rest of the body and exhibits a small white v-shaped mark that runs between the eyes. Bulls tend to be much larger than cows, and vocalize much more; they also have beards running along their throats and large horns with two and a half twists.
The range of Greater kudu extends from the east in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Eritrea, and Kenya into the south where they are found in Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Other regions where they occur are the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Swaziland, and Uganda. These antelopes live in mixed scrub woodlands and bush on abandoned fields and degraded pastures, mopane bush, and acacia in lowlands, hills, and mountains. They will occasionally venture onto plains only if there is a large abundance of bushes but normally avoid such open areas to avoid becoming an easy target for their predators.
Greater kudus are social animals that live in groups within their home areas. Females usually form small groups of 6-10 with their offspring, but sometimes they can form a herd of up to 20 individuals. Male kudus may form small bachelor groups, but they are more commonly found as solitary and widely dispersed individuals. Solitary males will join the group of females and calves only during the mating season. Home ranges of maternal herds can overlap with other maternal herds while home ranges of adult males generally encompass the ranges of two or three female groups. Greater kudus may be active throughout the 24-hour day. During the day, they normally cease to be active and instead seek cover under woodland, especially during hot days. They feed and drink in the early morning and late afternoon, acquiring water from waterholes or roots and bulbs that have high water content. When a herd is threatened by predators, an adult (usually female) will issue a bark to alert the rest of the herd. Greater kudus communicate using many other vocalizations, including low grunts, clucks, humming, and gasping.
Monday, 1 March 2021
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