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Africa
Travel Newsletter > Africa's
Birds of Prey - Princes of the Bird World >
Page 2
1.1 Africa’s
Birds of Prey- Princes of the Bird World
Hawks are common in Africa. Sometimes the
word hawk is used as a general term for birds of prey. Literally,
the hawk is a medium-sized, long-tailed bird fitted with attributes
of both the eagle and falcon, but of lesser might than both.
Hawks are highly intelligent birds that prefer to live in
dense bush and woodlands, where they hunt under the concealment
of trees. Common African species are the goshawk -widespread
across the Afro-tropics and the sparrow hawk found in northern
Africa, Senegal, Gambia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Angola and
South Africa.
Kites are the most common of the African raptors
and are widespread over the open savannahs. The most frequently
seen is the black kite, which you are bound to come across
hovering anywhere there is open-air banqueting. They resemble
small eagles, and have a long spread of wings and feeble legs.
Unlike most raptors, kites are not aggressive
and mostly live on carrion. They occasionally hunt live prey;
restricting themselves to tiny mammals, rodents, birds and
reptiles. Common species include the black-shouldered, scissor-tailed,
black and red kites.
Vultures are notorious carrion feeders and
scavengers; very rarely do they attack live prey. They feed
on a "first-come-first-served" basis and inelegantly
gorge themselves with food. They are messy eaters, for which
purpose they have evolved featherless heads. They are quite
large with very strong sharp beaks, and large wings -stooped
at the shoulder and long talons by which they plant themselves
in their meal of carcass, but have rather weak feet.
The African vultures belong to the "Old
World Vultures", which rely on sight alone to find carrion.
"New World Vultures" are not African and track their
dinner by assistance of a sharp sense of smell. Some species
of vultures may be found around city residential areas where
they scavenge through the heaps of refuse and play their part
in cleaning up Africa. They are found all across the continent,
particularly in open savannah, though they avoid the very
arid areas and dense forests.
Vultures are the most social of the raptors,
and they live and feed in one or more pairs. Another redeeming
feature of the vulture is its excellent parenting skills;
it takes great pains to care for and protect its young. They
feed their young by regurgitating food from their crop. Well
known species include lappet-faced, white-headed, hooded,
Egyptian, palm-nut, Lammergeier, Cape Griffon and the white-backed
vultures.
The Secretary bird is an inimitable bird of
prey that appears like a crossbreed between an eagle and a
crane. It is the tallest of the raptors standing at 4.5ft,
and is very entertaining to watch. It has an eagle-like head,
rounded wings, skinny crane-like legs, two elongated tail
feathers, a crest of pen-like quills at the back of the ears,
and grey plumage with rims of black on the thighs and flight
feathers. They vocalize in throaty croaking.
These birds are endemic to sub-Saharan Africa
and feature prominently in Sudan and South Africa. They prefer
the open savannah and nest on acacia trees. Their diet largely
consists of insects, small ground mammals, birds, eggs, snakes
and reptiles. They feed their young by regurgitating food
from their crop. While hunting, they kill by pursuing their
prey on foot, and using their hooked beaks and hard legs to
trample the victim to unconsciousness or death. They usually
swallow small prey whole.
Of all raptors, owls have the best sense of
hearing and are the only ones with visible protrusions for
ears. Though the feather turfs above their heads are usually
mistaken for ears, their ears are actually tiny projections,
hidden by feathers on the side of their heads. Being nocturnal,
owls prowl the night and rely greatly on their hearing and
exceptional night vision to prey. Owls are well respected
as consummate hunters.
Owls are distinguished by their characteristic
flat-face, big round heads with large forward-facing eyes
and powerfully built feet. They cannot turn their eyes from
side to side but are strangely able to rotate their heads
in quick motion to an incredible 270 degrees. They prey on
insects, birds and small mammals, which they swallow whole.
Their association with the dark has forever evoked mystery
and myth. Among some African cultures, owls are associated
with ill omen and death.
Humans have for long threatened the well being
of the birds of prey. Raptors have been hunted for their plume,
and are brought down for fun by bloody-minded sportsmen. Some
ignorant farmers have persecuted raptors on the suspicion
that they kill livestock -since they are likely to be found
near dead animals, though they have little capacity to put
down livestock. Other human-initiated factors that persist
to threaten raptors are: habitat loss, human activity, pollution,
and poisoning. This in turn leads to secondary problems such
as disease, starvation and in some cases, extinction. Some
species of raptors are already classified as threatened or
vulnerable.
Africa's Top Ten Birding Sites as rated by
the African Bird Club (www.africanbirdclub.org) -an international
organisation devoted to the study of Africa's birds sites
-are: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Uganda), The Ocean off Cape
Town (South Africa), Mount Kupe (Cameroon), Bale Mountain
National Park (Ethiopia), Caprivi Strip (Namibia), Djoudj
National Park (Senegal), Kruger National Park (South Africa),
The Rift Valley Lakes (Kenya), Murchison Falls National Park
(Uganda), and the Tendaba Camp (The Gambia)
Unless you are a really specialised bird watcher,
you will get to see most raptors on a classic African wildlife
safari. As lots of birds are found outside national parks,
real birding enthusiasts opt for a custom itinerary accompanied
by expert birding guides. Bird watching in the wild, combined
with a big game safari, makes a very good value holiday package.
NOTE:
If you have a friend who is going on vacation to Africa and
would find the above information useful then you can email
this page to the person by clicking
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