Birds of South Africa Trivia Quiz

Answer: hammerkop

The hammerkop (Scopus umbretta) gets its name because of the hammerhead shape made by its bill and crest. It feeds in shallow fresh water and eats frogs, insects, fish and other water creatures. In African folklore, the hammerkop is feared as a messenger of doom.The hammerkop builds a huge nest out of grass and sticks in the fork of a tree and has a small entrance lined with mud.

Unfortunately, other birds often take over the nest, such as eagle owls or Egyptian geese. A non-migrant bird, the hammerkop can be found in Africa (south of the Sahara) as well as in Madagascar.

Answer: lilytrotter

It is called lilytrotter because of its ability to walk over waterlilies and other aquatic plants using its very long toes. It is also called "Jesus bird" because it appears as if it is walking on the surface of the water. The strange thing about this extraordinary bird is that the female mates with up to four different males and then the males incubate the egss when they are hatched.

The best place to see an African jacana is in the Okavango region of Botswana.

Answer: carmine bee-eater

The carmine bee-eater has a body length of 38cm and red and pink plumage and occurs in very large flocks. They usually feed over grassland and follow animal herds where they can find plenty of insects. They even rest on the backs of grazing animals, ostriches or bustards from where they swoop to eat any insect passing by.

Their nesting colonies can be found on cliffs near rivers and consist of thousands of pairs, each with their own seperate nest. The carmine bee-eater is partially migrant.

Answer: pied kingfisher

The pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) is the only kingfisher that hovers above the water with its head looking down before diving to catch a fish or an insect. The malachite kingfisher is mostly blue, orange and white, the woodland kingfisher is blue while the brown-hooded kingfisher is grey, brown, black and blue.

Answer: False

All female hornbills do this except the ground hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri). They plaster up the entrance of the hole with mud, leaving only a narrow opening through which the male hornbill feeds the female during her long stay. The female only breaks out of the hole when the eggs have hatched. On the other hand, female ground hornbills do not seal themselves up and incubation rotates among adults.

Answer: marabou stork

The marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumeniferus) is one of the world's largest flying birds, standing around 150cm high. It is mostly a scavenger and is often seen together with vultures eating animal carcasses, although it can also hunt and kill live prey such as fish, insects and small birds. The air sac hanging from its neck is used for various kinds of display behaviour.

Answer: the greater flamingo has a black tip on its pale beak while the lesser flamingo's bill is dark red

These two species of flamingo often occur together, but do not compete with each other because the greater flamingo eats larger organisms while the lesser flamingo feeds mainly on blue-green algae. They both feed in shallow water by filtering small organisms with their bill.

Answer: grey lourie

The grey lourie (Corythaixoides concolor) inhabits open woodlands and is quite common. It is called the "go-away bird" because of its call: 'kwaaaay'.

Answer: fish eagle

The fish eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer) is the most easily identified eagle in the region. Its gull-like cry 'kyow yow-yow' is uttered with the head thrown right back. Fish eagles often steal food from ospreys and herons and sometimes eat waterfowl. The fish eagle is best seen on large rivers and wetlands such as the Zambezi river and the Okavango delta.

Answer: True

Amazingly it is true. The nests are constructed in camelthorns or on telegraph poles and have more then 50 entrances. A very strange fact concerning this nest is that it works like an air condition, keeping the chambers cool when the weather is hot and warm at cold winter nights.

The sociable weaver spends its entire life in this nest, although other birds frequently take over some parts, such as pygmy falcons.