Thursday, June 28, 2018

Kori Bustard

I've previously posted on the Somali Kori Bustard (Ardeotis kori struthiunculus) which we saw in East Africa four years ago. It is one of the two subspecies of kori bustard, although there are some that believe they are separate species.


We saw the other subspecies (Ardeotis kori kori) in Etosha NP in Namibia and Hwange NP in Zimbabwe. It is the paler nominate subspecies found in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, southern Angola, South Africa and Mozambique. 

We got some better looks in Etosha as we had control over our own vehicle and were able to spend longer looking at them. 
I love the top-knot - a less flashy version of the secretary bird back-head feathers. 
I also love the lose neck feathers of black and white stripes that look like chain-mail.
I also love the blackish-brown and white markings on the upper-outer wings. 

1 comment:

  1. Those last three shots are amazing. Another large, ornate, seemingly clumsy bird. Africa seems to have a lot more of those that we do in the US.

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