Post number 16 Birds from Southern Africa

I have been away for the past week so just a short post to let you know that I am back.  We are very busy with a number of jobs that are doing here at home at the moment. These are photos again taken by my friend, Christelle Miller, while in the Kruger national park in May 2018.

Thanks go to Christelle for allowing me to use these photos on my blog.

I hope that my identification is correct, please let me know if there should be any mistakes.

The Lilac Breasted Roller, (Coracias Caudata).  See my photos for details on this bird on the previous post.

African jacana (Actophilornis africanus) is a wader in the family Jacanidae, identifiable by long toes and long claws that enable them to walk on floating vegetation in shallow lakes,  which is their preferred habitat....

It feeds on aquatic insects and larvae, worms, snails and other arthropods. It may take seeds sometimes when it forages on open cultivated areas. To avoid predators, it can swim underwater, and in the same situation, the chicks can stay underwater for a moment with only the bill tip above the surface, and they swim as well as the adults. The mating system of the African Jacana is reversed. The male performs all the nesting duties while the female has access to several males and defends the territories against other females.

Brown Snake Eagle (Circaetus cinereu). It lives in savannahs, woodlands and dry wooded countries with tall trees. It is uncommon in open plains. It feeds on snakes and other reptiles, carrying them by the head while flying. It spends most of its time perched in trees, performing short flights from one tree to another, and hunting from these perches. Prey is always taken on the ground, often by dropping on it from a perch....

The nest is made with small sticks and lined with some green leaves. Birds may return to the same tree and rebuild a nest after some years.  The female lays only one white egg. Incubation lasts about 47 to 50 days, by the female. She flattens in the nest if an intruder approaches, becoming almost invisible. The male feeds her at the nest.

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