Animals of Africa (that we saw): Part 2 - Birds (by JB)

Here is Part 2. The Birds that I saw. I would say "we", but the reality is that the other people in the group were not that impressed with the avian inhabitants of Africa. To be fair, each person did probably appreciate one or two of the more dazzling birds that I spotted, but I heard "birds, shmirds" one too many times. The other members of the group wanted me come up with a code word if I spotted a bird so they didn't have to look up from what they were doing. I know, I know, the birders that are out there reading this are agahst, and rightly so. I mean, where else in the world will you be able to see the world's largest bird and penguins less than 20 minutes apart, the beautiful blue waxbills and red-headed finches, the amazing African fish eagles and paradise flycatchers, kori bustards and malachite kingfishers, or birds with names like hammerkop and hoopoe and hornbills. It was absolutely amazing... well if you are not a "birds, shmirds" type that is. :)

These guys were constantly trying to outrun the jeep on the road.

Three very impressive birds each in their own right. And the penguin's other name is based on the call it makes - rather like a "bray".

An absolutely beautiful family of birds... also a popular dining establishment name.

The very, very large Goliath Heron. It's a fitting name.

The Saddle-Billed Stork is a very large, very vibrant bird (almost doesn't look real) that likes to walk on the very tops of trees. Rather unusual.

These three are pretty cool birds - did you see the size of the Jacana's feet?!

So the African Fish Eagle is one of the most impressive birds I have seen. Sleek and graceful - looks like a relative of the American Bald Eagle.

Again, three very impressive birds. The vulture is bald so that it can stick its head in a dead animals body cavity without getting blood and guts stuck in its feathers - that's so cool! The Bateleur is just beatiful. The Secretarybird is a bird of prey that pretty much just walks everywhere. It can fly (with a wingspan of over 6 feet), but it prefers to walk around hunting smaller birds, lizards, and snakes.

I always see the Pied Crow in commercials - now I got to see one in real life!

The Babbler, true to it's name, stays in groups and just chatters away. The Coucal hops through the trees looking for nests so it can eat the eggs it finds.

Notice the metallic patches on the Emeral-Spotted Wood Dove. Almost looks fake.

These guys (which some people think look like Toucans) were all over. They would fly out of the trees right in front of us and then land in a tree just a bit ahead. It was like they were keeping track of us where ever we went.

We saw a very large Trumpeter in Nigeria. The Ground Hornbills are very large and lived in South Africa.

Some very pretty birds. I love the length of the Mousebird's tail.

How amazing are these colors?

Awesome Hoopoe hairdo.

So the Shrikes will impale their food (insects, smaller birds and mammals) into thorns to help tear them apart. Hence the local name of "Jackey Hangman Birds".

The Bush Shrikes are beautiful birds with beautiful calls. You hear them more than you see them. The Brown-Headed Parrot was the only free parrot I saw. We did see a few wild caught parrots in cages that people were selling on roadsides in Nigeria.

Awesome little guys - will eat the ticks and other bugs off the animals.

Three amazingly beatiful birds.

As I said, this might be the most beatiful bird in the world. These photos don't really do them justice.

So there you have it. A bird-shmirds entry for all you bird lovers out there.