Gruiformes

Birds of Namibia

There are 4 families in the Order Gruiformes. They are:

Family Otididae: Bustards
Family Gruidae: Cranes
Family Heliornithidae: Finfoots
Family Rallidae: Flufftails, Rails, Crakes, Gallinules, Moorhens and coots.

FAMILY OTIDIDAE

Bustards range in size from medium to very large, are terrestrial with what experts describe as 'generally cryptically coloured' plumages. They have reasonably long legs and necks with short bills which are characteristically straight and flattened at the base. Other features include an absent hind toe; 3 toes with broad, blunt claws; broad wings and a 'simple' voice. Females usually lay between 1 and 3 eggs, laid in an unlined scrape on the ground, incubated by the female who also cares for her chicks. There are 7 members of this family found in Namibia. They are:

FAMILY GRUIDAE

Cranes are large, slender, long-legged birds with characteristic long necks with straight bills. Their plumage is usually grey, black and white. A feature of their behaviour is a dramatic dancing courtship display, with a performance that includes screaming, honking and trumpeting. Females nest on the ground or in marsh vegetation where they lay between 1 and 4 eggs, cared for by both male and female. They feed on a variety of plants and animals. There are 3 species of this family found in Namibia. They are:

FAMILY HELIORNITHIDAE

Finfoots are small to medium-sized, grebe-like birds with dagger-like bills. Plumage is mainly olive-brown with white eye stripes. Other features include a small head, a long body with well-set back legs and a long, slender neck. Their wings are fairly small and the long tail is graduated, reasons for their reluctance to fly. Swimming is another characteristic although they seldom dive and their diet mainly consists of small aquatic animals. Nests usually consist of a flat platform built of grasses and sticks in tangled vegetation. Females lay 2 or 3 eggs incubated by both sexes. There is just the 1 member of this family found in Namibia.

African finfoot (Podica senegalensis)

FAMILY RALLIDAE

This family are a diverse group of small to medium-sized flufftails, rails, moorhens, coots, swamphens and crakes. Features include a soft and loose plummage, short, rounded wings and a short, soft tail. Food is mainly animal matter, but plants and seeds are also taken by larger birds. Nests are made close to the ground in vegetation, usually over water with floating nests built by some species. There are 12 members of this family found in Namibia. They are: