Introduction: Hamerkops (Scopus umbretta) inhabit the edges of shallow waters of lakes, swamps and marshes, lakes, rivers and streams and seasonally flooded ponds which can include smaller puddles of water in gravel roads. Although they are usually observed singly or in pairs, aggregations of groups up to 20 have been recorded.

Distribution: Kunene River Mouth, Epupa Falls, Rundu, Caprivi, Chobe/Zambezi Rivers, Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve, Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, Windhoek, Hardap Dam, Orange River, Fish River Canyon, Kaudom Game Park. Also found in northern Namib Desert but absent from southern region.

Diet: Hamerkops use several foraging techniques to catch prey including stand and wait, foot trembling, hovering and flying over the water. Eats mostly tadpoles of toads as well as frogs, small fish, shrimps, grasshoppers, beetles maggots, earthworms and small mammals.

Description: Dark brown to reddish-brown plumage all over, darker on the wing and tail, paler on the throat. The feathers of the nape and hind neck when elongated form a crest. Black legs and feet.

Breeding: A pile of sticks that resemble an inverted pyramid eventually forms a deep cup with a 'V' shaped notch in the front which becomes the entrance tunnel. Walls are made by interweaving sticks with a criss-cross formation forming the roof. Females lay between 3 to 9 eggs in June or September and incubated for up to 30 days.

Size: 55cm. Weight: 500g.

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