Talking about the African savannah, most people will probably be thinking about lions and elephants. Those species do indeed live there and they are certainly nice to look at! Still, I can recommend everyone to also pay some attention to the birds hopping and flying around the big pile of mammals.
Africa boasts a diverse array of bird species, many of which are notable for their impressive size and unique characteristics. From the iconic ostrich to lesser-known avian giants, these birds play a crucial role in the continent's ecosystems.
10 Of The Largest Birds In The World
The Ostrich: The World's Largest Bird
Of course there is the Ostrich, the largest bird in the world although it can’t fly. That’s a bird most people will still recognize and probably also want to see when they go on safari.
The largest and one of the world’s most well known birds, the ostrich is found exclusively in Africa. It is also the world’s heaviest bird, measuring up to eight feet tall and weighing up to 300 pounds. Although they still have flight feathers on their wings, they cannot fly and instead, have evolved long, powerful legs, which serve as their main mode of transportation.
Ostriches are also sexually dimorphic - males are black in color with white wing plumes and tail, and females are almost entirely drab gray. Ostriches are found throughout Africa, but contrary to popular belief, they prefer to inhabit lush, open grasslands, not deserts.
Read also: Birds of the Savanna
The ostrich is the largest living bird too heavy to fly but fastest bird or animal that move on two legs and can sprint at 70km/hr. If you to see ostrich, you can see ostrich across the whole Africa all the way from North Africa including Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco to east and southern Africa. They prefer grassland and savanna areas like the Serengeti and Masai Mara where they are fairly easy to spot due to their size.
The Secretarybird: A Striking Bird of Prey
Still other birds should get some attention too. What about a Secretarybird! In my opinion it’s a bird that is a lot more appealing than the Ostrich. Be honest, what’s not to like about this bird. It’s a bird of prey, it has nice ornamental feathers on it’s head, not any of that fuzzy stuff like the Ostrich and it can fly!
Also not a bird to be overlooked: in flight it has a wingspan of about 2 meters and when it walks in upright position it goes as high as 1.38 meters. It can give an eagle a run for it’s money! So there is a reason why this bird can be seen on the covers of a lot of African bird guiding books.
The secretary bird is a large, mostly terrestrial bird of prey. Endemic to Africa, it is usually found in the open grasslands and savannah of the sub-Sahara. The secretary bird hunts its prey on foot. Prey consists of insects, small mammals, lizards, snakes, young birds, bird eggs, and sometimes dead animals killed in grass or bush fires. It also waits near fires, eating anything it can that is trying to escape.
Secretary birds associate in monogamous pairs. During courtship, they exhibit a nuptial display by soaring high with undulating flight patterns and calling with guttural croaking.
Read also: A Guide to African Lovebirds
The secretary bird is one of the most impressive looking birds of Africa standing more than four feet tall, this mostly ground based bird of prey is instantly recognisable from its long pick legs, bare red face and sharp, curved yellow beak. Secretary birds are one of only two birds of prey that hunt on the ground instead of from the air.
The Kori Bustard: Africa's Heaviest Flying Bird
Another iconic bird from the African savannah is the Kori Bustard. Again a stout bird with a special looking head. Apart from that it’s also the heaviest flying bird in the world, let an Ostrich or a King Penguin try that!
The kori bustard, native to Africa may be the heaviest bird capable of flight. It is mostly grey in color, with a black crest on its head and yellow legs. The East African subspecies is found in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. The southern subspecies is distributed in southern Africa in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, southern Angola, South Africa, and southern Mozambique. Kori bustards are polygynous.
Kori Bustard is one of the largest and heaviest flying birds in Africa spends most of its time on the ground, taking to air only to escape from predators and landing again as soon as possible. Kori Bustard bird is not like other African birds because they don’t have a preening gland that produces oil to keep their feathers clean from parasites.
You can see these birds in eastern and southern Africa especially in Botswana, Namibia and Tanzania.
Read also: Learn about Lovebirds
Marabou Stork
Marabou stork is sometimes referred to as the undertake bird because of its cloak-like wings, hunched posture and sinister-looking expression. Marabou stock is absolutely massive and were once thought to be the largest living bird and it is very easy to spot due to its enormous size, powerful bill and naked head, lack feathers on its face helps this bird keep clean when scavenging amongst rotting waste.
They often in ugly five list because they are so unattractive. Marabou storks are not afraid of humans and can even be quite intimidating.
The marabou stork is unmistakable due to its size, bare head and neck, black back, and white underparts. It has a huge bill, a pink gular at its throat, a neck ruff, and black legs and wings. It is so large and heavy that its leg and toe bones are hollow to reduce weight during flight.
The marabou stork is a frequent scavenger, and the naked head and neck are adaptations to this, as a feathered head would become rapidly clotted with blood and other substances when the bird's head was inside a large corpse.
Marabou storks are the largest stork species in the world, reaching up to 5 feet tall. (Image credit: Wirestock/Getty Images)Sometimes called "undertaker birds" because of their dark, cloak-like wings and fondness for rotting carcasses, marabou storks are hefty creatures, standing at around 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall and weighing up to 20 pounds (9 kilograms). They are the largest stork species in the world, with a wingspan of 8.5 feet (2.6 m).
Marabou storks are found across sub-Saharan Africa and are scavengers, mainly feeding on carrion. A bald head is a key adaptation to this lifestyle, as it helps prevent the birds from getting covered in blood when they stick their heads inside a dead animal, which could cause health issues, according to the Cleveland Zoological Society.
Saddle-Billed Stork
Saddle billed stork is another interesting looking stork that you may see on your African safari. This is the tallest stork in the world, taller than the enormous marabou but not heavy as such. It gets its name from its eye-catching colorful beak with the vivid red bands and bright yellow frontal shield the saddle.
The saddle-billed stork is a large wading bird. It is a widespread species and is a resident breeder in sub-Saharan Africa from Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya south to South Africa, and in Gambia, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Chad in western Africa. The plumage is identical in males and females with iridescent black head, neck, back, wings and tail. The rest of the body and the primary feathers are white. The large bill is crimson with a black band and a triangular yellow frontal shield (or saddle). The black legs have pinkish joints at the knee. Fossil records date storks back some fifty million years.
Shoebill
Africa has more than its fair share of storks, with 8 of the world’s 19 species gracing the continent. Furthermore, we have another very special stork-like bird, the regal Shoebill, previously known as the Whale-headed Stork but now placed in its own family.
The shoebill is huge measuring up to 1.5m tall with a wingspan of 2.5m. it named after its enormous bill which some say looks like a shoe that can grow up to 24cm long and 20cm wide but they are mostly silent, they use this huge to make loud, scary clattering sounds to communicate with other birds.
And now to our honorary stork, the Shoebill. This colossal bird is now placed in its own family Balaenicipitidae and it forms an ancient link between storks and pelicans. Previously known as the Whale-headed Stork, its scientific name of Balaeniceps rex translates as “King Whalehead”, in reference to its giant whale or shoe-shaped head and bill. A massive gray bird with a staring yellow eye, its broad bill sports a vicious hooked tip used for catching its favorite prey of lungfish, catfish and watersnakes.
Also known as whale-headed storks, shoebills are one of Africa’s strangest and tallest birds. These strange birds, which aren't actually storks, stand at around 5 feet (1.5 m) tall and spend their time wading amongst freshwater swamps and marshes hunting fish and other small aquatic species, according to the Animal Diversity Web. As hunters, shoebills have a high success rate and deliver a fatal strike into the water around 60% of the time, according to the charity BirdLife International.
Vultures
Vultures are perhaps not favoured by most, but still when you look at them closely you’ll see that these animals also have something special, at least in my opinion. And if you don’t like them at all, don’t forget their huge wingspan, that should also count for something!
You will often see vultures gliding in the air. Most live in hot places because there are plenty of thermals (which is warm air spiralling up into the sky). Vultures ‘ride’ these thermals soaring in lazy circles in the sky. The reason why you hardly see them flapping passed us like a regular bird in flight - even an Eagle, is because of a good reason. They are poor/bad at it.
Apart from that your savannah-experience is just not quite complete when you haven’t watched a kill over which vultures are quietly circling waiting for their turn. That behaviour can also be a nice help to find a pack of lions that could be enjoying the fresh kill: useful birds those vultures!
A vulture’s senses of sight and smell are among the best of any other bird and they are able to find a dead animal from far.
The lappet-faced vulture is the largest scavenger in Africa. From its scaled feet to the top of its bare pink head, it stands a metre tall. And its wingspan is truly enormous - up to three metres across, second only to that of a wandering albatross.
Other Notable Birds
Apart from that there are of course many other attractive birds of the savannah that may perhaps be more easier overlooked, but are worth paying attention to. First there is the little nephew of the Kori Bustard: Northern Black Korhaan. Then a fat chicken: the Helmeted Guineafowl. Call it ugly, the head is indeed not that attractive, but the pearly feathers are very nice.
Grey Crowned Crane
This bird is truly majestic due to the beautiful crown it carries and the distinctive bright colours it wears. The Gray Crowned Crane is the most ancient of the 15 species of cranes currently. There are two subspecies - the Eastern Gray crowned crane found in Kenya and Uganda and the Southern Gray crowned crane found in Zambia and South Africa.
The body of the grey crowned crane is mainly gray. The wings are predominantly white, but contain feathers with colors ranging from white to brown to gold. The head is topped with a crown of stiff golden feathers. Cheek patches are white, and a red gular sack is present under the chin. Legs and toes are black and the bill is short and dark gray.
Grey crowned crane reach about one meter tall with a wingspan of two meters. Grey crowned crane is one of the easiest African birds to recognize by their bright red throat pouch, white face, blue eyes and eye-catching crown of bright gold feathers. Like many birds, grey crowned cranes have an elaborate mating dance involving bowing, Jumping, spreading their wings and hopping but they don’t just do this during mating season. You can see this display at any time of the year. Grey crowned crane can be found across Eastern and southern Africa including Tanzania, Kenya and south Africa.
African Fish Eagle
Found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, African fish eagles are found primarily along bodies of water including rivers, lakes, floodplains, coasts, estuaries, mangrove lagoons, and swamps. Their primary food source, as the name implies, is fish. An individual may consume half a pound of fish per day. Typical fishing behavior involves soaring followed by diving to the water’s surface to catch fish with their talons. It often requires several attempts before a successful catch occurs, with only one in seven to eight attempts ending in success.
Adult African fish eagles are large, readily recognizable raptors, with their pure white head, neck, chest, and tail and dark chestnut brown body.
Southern Ground Hornbill
The southern ground hornbill is the largest of two species of ground hornbill (the other is the northern ground hornbill). It can be found from northern Namibia and Angola to northern South Africa to Burundi and Kenya. It is characterized by black coloration and vivid red patches of bare skin on the face and throat (yellow in juvenile birds). The habitat of the southern ground hornbill comprises savannas, woodlands and grasslands and it forages on the ground, where it feeds on reptiles, frogs, snails, insects and mammals up to the size of hares.
Yellow-Billed Stork
Yellow billed stork is a medium sized wading storks that live around rivers and wetlands, preying mainly on small freshwater fish, crustaceans, frogs, insects and worms.
The yellow-billed stork, a member of the wading family, occurs in Africa south of the Sahara and in Madagascar. It favors aquatic habitats, including shallow lakes, mud flats, coastal lagoons and meadows where it feeds on crustaceans, small fish, frogs, insects and worms. Yellow-billed storks typically use one foot to stir up the water or mud which disturbs and flushes out the prey.
Plumage on the yellow-billed stork is mainly pinkish-white with black wings and tail. They have a bright yellow bill that is long, slightly curved and thick at the base. Their necks are also long and slender and grayish white.
Helmeted Guinea Fowl
The head and neck of the helmeted guinea fowl are bare with bright blue skin and a red wattle hanging from the throat and cheeks. On top of the head sits a dull yellow or reddish bony knob which gives the bird its characteristic “helmeted” appearance. The rest of its body is covered with blackish-grey feathers dotted with white spots.
These birds are terrestrial, and prone to run rather than fly when alarmed. Guinea fowl are equipped with strong claws and scratch in loose soil for food much like domestic chickens.
Size Comparison of African Birds
Here's a comparison of the size and wingspan of some of the notable African birds discussed:
| Bird Species | Height (Approximate) | Wingspan (Approximate) |
|---|---|---|
| Ostrich | Up to 8 feet (2.4 meters) | Up to 7 feet (2 meters) |
| Secretarybird | Up to 4.5 feet (1.38 meters) | Up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) |
| Marabou Stork | Up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) | Up to 8.5 feet (2.6 meters) |
| Saddle-Billed Stork | Slightly shorter than Marabou Stork | Up to 8.8 feet (2.7 meters) |
| Shoebill | Up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) | Up to 8.2 feet (2.5 meters) |
| Lappet-faced Vulture | Up to 3.3 feet (1 meter) | Up to 9.8 feet (3 meters) |
| Grey Crowned Crane | Up to 3.3 feet (1 meter) | Up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) |
Popular articles:
tags: #Africa
