Hamerkop Pair “False Mounting”
Photo Details: This hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) was standing motionless on the river’s edge when, without warning, another one flew in and landed on its back (below), where it remained for a few moments with wings outstretched before flying off again.
I’d never seen such behavior before and my travelling companions (we were in the Kruger National Park in South Africa) suggested the pair were simply doing what comes naturally to the birds and the bees.
Further research, however, indicates this was not the real thing, but rather a strange hamerkop ritual known as “false mounting”, where one bird lands on the back of another as if intending to mate, but in fact just stands there, beating its wings and calling. (I’m not quite sure what the human equivalent would be!)
Camera: Canon EOS 450D (Canon Rebel XSi 12.2MP); Lens: Canon EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM; Aperture: f/8; ISO: 400
Additional Info: The Hamerkop — also known as Hammerkop or Anvilhead — is a sepia-colored, medium-sized wading bird (56cm long) found throughout sub-saharan Africa and Madagascar. The prominent crest at the back of its head, coupled with the large bill, is reminiscent of a hammer, hence its name.
A hamerkop’s diet consists of insects, frogs, tadpoles, crustacea and even small mammals. Its method of feeding is to shuffle one foot or stamp in the mud and pounce on what it disturbs.
Despite its rather ungainly appearance on land, when in flight it resembles a bird of prey, but is distinguishable by its long legs which extend beyond its tail.
The hamerkop’s nest is a work of labor and ingenuity that can take up to six months to build. Roberts Birds of Africa describes the nest as “an accumulation of sticks, reed stems and any sort of rubbish it fancies, such as old clothing, bits of leather, skin, bone and a fair quantity of grass on occasion — formed into a hollow dome, with an entrance situated below in such a way that it cannot be reached by human and other marauders”.
Please feel free to ask any questions or post comments in the comment box further below — and, if you found this post interesting or informative, please consider "Liking" it or hitting the +1 button.
Tagged with: hamerkop
Filed under: African Birds
Fascinating behaviour and a great photograph!
Thanks Mike – as you say, fascinating behaviour. I’m not sure how one differentiates between “false mounting” and actual mating without becoming an expert in Hamerkop sexual behaviour, which is not top of my agenda right now! From some basic web research, it appears that mating normally takes place near or on the birds’ nest, which is why I took this to be the false variety.
Enjoyed browsing your Thai photo blog. How do you find the Canon EF-S 55-250mm that you used for the pic of the Spectacled Langur?
Cheers,
Scotch
Scotch, thanks for the additional info. I am very much a beginner with the Canon camera, one of the reasons I enjoy your blog, besides the great pics, is the info you supply.
I find working with the 55-250mm difficult. That said its probably my lack of experience, I tend to hand hold everything!! I am working mostly in Program mode but I want to start developing my skills with more manual settings.
The Spectacled Langur made it easy to some extent as I was only about 8′ away despite being in “the wild.”
Thanks for your comments Mike. It can be a problem using long lenses as one is often tempted to try shots (because it looks interesting through the viewfinder) without keeping the camera steady enough, then we’re disappointed with the result when it’s not sharp enough. I know IS helps, but remember that your lens at 250mm is like a 400mm on a 35mm film camera, so will be prone to any small camera movement. It’s not always possible or convenient to use a tripod, but definitely worth making it a priority when using tele lenses. Otherwise I’d recommend carrying a beanbag, even a small one, in your camera bag that you can use to “bed” the camera where possible.