Red-Crested Korhaan

The red-crested korhaan, also known as the red-crested bustard, is found in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Swaziland, Angola and Mozambique. 

It has distinctive "v" shaped markings. The red crest is only on males and only visible in courting. See this video for remarkable footage of a mating display. We saw a female. She has a black belly, but the male has more black on its head and other places. 

I find remarkably little about this bird on-line. We saw only one, in Hwange NP in Zimbabwe. Our safari vehicle was going down a dirt road and then pulled over to allow us a look. We only looked quickly, then continued on. 

Steenbok

The steenbok, sometimes called the steinbuck or steinbok, is a small antelope, only 16 to 24 inches in height at the shoulder, with an orangish coat. It has a white underside, chin, throat, and ring around the eye and a black nose and round scent gland in front of the eye. The male has straight, parallel horns, from 3 to 7 1/2 inches long. It has a very short tail, only 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches long. 

We only saw one steenbok. It was on our way out of Hwange NP in Zimbabwe. It ran in front of our vehicle and then hid in the bushes. 

They are found in two distinct areas in Africa. One area is Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa. The other area is in Southern Africa, including Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Lesotho and South Africa. 

Very small tail. 

Northern Black Korhaan

The northern black korhaan is also known as the white-quilled bustard and is a member of the bustard family. It is found in Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Lesotho. We saw them on two occasions, both in Etosha NP in northwestern Namibia. 

Northern black korhaan 

It primarily eats insects such as termites, ants and beetles, but also eats seeds. It prefers heavily grazed areas with sparse ground cover. 

The male, which we have photos of, has yellow legs; a reddish-pink bill with a light-black tip; a black under-belly, breast, neck and head; white patches behind the eye, down the shoulder, on the outer wings and a whitish-black cap. The back and visible wings have black and white striped feathers. 

The female is a brown-tan, without all of the white and black, yellow legs and a more muted pink bill. 

Southwestern Black Rhinoceros

There are two species of rhino in Africa: the white or square-lipped rhino; and the black or hook-lipped rhino. I've previously blogged on the southern subspecies of the white rhino which we saw in Kenya. The black rhino is native to eastern and southern Africa, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Swaziland, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya. There are eight subspecies of the black rhino, three of which are now extinct. 

This black rhino was at the Okaukuejo water hole in Etosha at about 9:30 p.m. along with three giraffes and some zebras.  

While visiting Etosha NP in northwestern Namibia we encountered the Southwestern black rhino, a small subspecies adapted to survival in the desert. It was originally found in northwestern Namibia and southwestern Angola, but is now only found in wildlife reserves in northwestern Namibia. 

I saw four black rhinos at one time at Okaukuejo. There are two on the opposite side of the water hole although the clarity of the picture is not great. These photos were taken without a tripod.  

Two black rhinos at Okaukuejo, with the reflection of the back rhino showing in the water and a group of giraffes and zebras coming in in the background. We talked to a couple from Switzerland who also saw four rhinos at the water hole at Halili Camp. 

It is smaller than the white rhino and has two horns on the skull made of keratin, the larger horn in the front. It has a pointed and prehensile upper lip, used to grasp leaves and twigs in grazing, while the white rhino has square lips used to eat grass in browsing.  

This black rhino was off the main road northeast of the Rietfontein water hole and before the turnoff to Halili. It is the only one we saw during the day. We did see another one away from a water hole on an evening game drive that evening outside Halili. I'm assuming the front horn may have been removed by game managers to reduce the risk of poaching. 

The black rhino is extremely aggressive had has the highest rate of mortality from combat of any mammal, about 50% for males and 30% for females. They are very fast, reaching speeds of 34 miles per hour. 

A head-on view of the same black rhino. 

African Jacana

The African jacana is also known as the "lilytrotter" because it walks on top of water lilies and other vegetation with its long toes. 

Note the large toes on the foot pulled up out of the water. 

They have chestnut underparts; black wingtips, crown, rear neck and eye stripe; a light-blue bill with a coot-like upper shield; gray legs and toes; and white neck and upper chest turning into a golden yellow. 

The light blue bill and shield and golden-yellow upper chest are visible. 

They feed on insects floating on top of the vegetation on the water, or the water itself. It is found in wetlands throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. 

This is not a great picture, but it shows the habitat of grasses inundated with water and lily pads. 

We saw them in the Okavanga Delta of Botswana while we were in a motor boat on a river. 

African Fish Eagle

The cry of the African fish eagle has been described as the "sound of Africa" (hear and see it here). It is found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa and is the national bird of Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Sudan. 

We saw it on several occasions, but our best views were in the Okavanga Delta of Botswana. It has a striking resemblance to the Bald Eagle of North America. 

The head, breast and tail is white, except for the face which is featherless and yellow. The eyes are dark brown and the beak is yellow with a black tip. Its body is mostly brown with black wings. 

It mainly eats fish which it snatches out of the water with its powerful talons. 

Saddle-Billed Stork

Leaving Hwange National Park in western Zimbabwe to make our way home, our guide spotted a stork sitting on a small island in a water hole. My pulse quickened as I recognized the incredible black and red bill with a yellow splotch on the fore-bill (the saddle) I'd seen in a photo just the night before in the book, Southern African Wildlife, I purchased for the trip. It described it as "uncommon but conspicuous" in Southern Africa. 

It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa, from Gambia, Senegal, Cote d' Ivoire and Chad in West Africa, and Sudan and Ethiopia in East Africa, to South Africa. 

It may be the tallest of the storks. The head, neck, back, wings and tail are all iridescent black and most of the rest of the body is white. The bill is red with a black band and has a yellow shield or saddle. The legs and feet are black with pink hocks. The chest has a bare patch of red skin that darkens during breeding season. 

The red patch on the chest is visible in this photo. 

The yellow saddle is pronounced in this photo.