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NATURAL HISTORY
Common Water Birds in the Rift Valley
Flamingos rank as East Africa's foremost water
birds. From an estimated 4 million world population
of flamingos, about 95 % are found in East Africa,
making the region a proud home to one of the most
biologically unique animal species. Flamingos are
highly gregarious and live in large groups that make
them a real treasure for any traveller. They are
characterised by pink plumage which is especially
condensed on the underside of the feathers and
gracefully exposed during flight. The beaks are "S"
shaped and also pink in colour while the legs are
straight and webbed to enable them wade in water.
The flamingos are found only in saline water and
that is why they are heavily concentrated in East
Africa's Rift Valley lakes, chief among them being
Lake Nakuru, said to be the bird's best feeding
habitat.
Filter feeders
They feed on microscopic algae which can only grow
in saline waters. These plants are suspended in
water and flamingos swallow large volumes of water
from which the foods are filtered by the beak
through specialised anatomical devices inside the
beak. For this reasons, flamingos are said to be
filter feeders, a status they share with a variety
of other aquatic organisms.
From flamingos we come to another bird likely to be
found in large aggregations in East African
wetlands, the pelicans. These are large, stout birds
with large white beaks specially adapted for
catching and swallowing fish which is their primary
food. Most fresh water lakes in East Africa are well
stocked with pelicans which swim graciously in water
in search of fish. They habitually swim around in a
team of 3 and dive for fish rhythmically and
simultaneously offering a spectacular view. Even in
saline lakes like Nakuru, pelicans also abound in
large numbers around the river mouths where there
high fish populations. Other popular sites in where
pelicans abound include Lake Naivasha and other
fresh water bodies.
Fish eaters
Other birds closely associated with pelicans are the
cormorants, the most common species being the
greater cormorant. Cormorants are mostly grey and
black and are slightly smaller than pelicans and
usually less gregarious. They mostly favour lake
shores which are well sheltered by vegetation as
they also feed on fish and other aquatic
invertebrates while breeding at the trees close to
water bodies. For these reason, cormorants are less
easy to sight than pelicans as they mostly bask at
sheltered lakeshores and riverbanks stalking for
prey, especially fish. In some places, cormorants
have been observed swimming even under the water as
they pursue fish; once they catch them they emerge
from the waters and resume their lofty positions on
the banks.
On a boat ride in Lake Naivasha, one can witness
plenty of cormorants on the shores. Also in plenty
are the fish eagles and king fishers, all fish
dependent birds.
Another large category of water birds constitute the
herons and storks. Herons are tall slim birds with
long forward pointing necks and elongated stout
beaks. There about 10 species of herons in East
Africa, the most commonly sighted being the Goliath
heron, the Grey heron and Black-headed heron. With
slight variations, herons are mostly sighted around
marshes and shallow waters and can often be seen in
the inland grassy habitats. Their most favourite
diet includes snakes and other small vertebrates
that live in wet areas. Hence, they are likely to be
found in shallow waters and are quite common
throughout East Africa.
The Storks
The storks are also a large class of water birds.
They are uniquely distinguished from the shape of
their beaks from which they derive their name. With
about 10 species around East Africa only the Marabou
stork and the white stork are not directly water
dependent. The marabou storks are very large and fly
with retracted head and neck unlike the other
storks. It's quite common in the urban areas where
they feed on refuse and carrions. They are also
common around water shores where they can get fish
and other small and young animals especially the
weak and injured. For this reason, they are likely
to be found where there high populations of other
birds like flamingos where they target the weak
members. Another unique stork is the Saddle- billed
stork, easily noticeable due to its red beak with a
black patch at the middle and yellow base. This
stork is quite common in the shallow waters and
swampy areas.
Large nest
The Hammerkop is also a popular bird associated with
storks. Perhaps the smallest in size among the
storks, it is so named from the shape of its head
and beak that together form the impression of a
hammer. They are also common all over East African
wetlands and are uniquely popular among bird
watchers because of the big nests that they build
with a lot of dry vegetation. As they say, you
cannot tell a bird's size from its nest, otherwise,
no one would ever guess the size of a Hammerkop!
There are two other species of water birds that are
also uniquely identified by their beaks; these are
Shoebills and Spoonbills. The shoebill is large and
dark grey in colour and the bill is shaped like a
shoe, hence the name. It is often found in large
swamps but are less easily sighted. The spoon bill
also has a beak that is spoon-shaped due to
enlargement of the posterior part into a "spoon".
The most common is the African spoon bill which is
well distributed in East Africa especially around
the shallow parts of large water bodies and swamps.
Ibis and the legend
In the East African wetlands one is also definitely
bound to see one or two species of ibises. These are
also common and have beaks that are narrow, almost
uniform in thickness though slightly tapered at the
end and the beaks are curved forwards. The Sacred
ibis is the most common and is usually white black
necks and beaks. They are mostly found around
marshlands and lagoons and tend to be gregarious.
Another common ibis is the Hadada ibis, usually grey
with a glossy patch on the either sides of wing
coverts. They are very distinguishable on the basis
of their noisy calls during flight from which they
derive their name. They are quite common throughout
East Africa around wooded streams, marshes and
lagoons and moist grasslands.
Witchcraft
The Hadada ibis has many legends among African
communities and are often associated with long life
and witchcraft. Among the Kikuyu in Kenya, a person
is dismissed as being as old as kagogo, the
local reference to the Hadada ibis. And one of
Kenya's leading and internationally renowned writers
recently published a novel titled in vernacular as:
Murogi wa kagogo, that is bewitching the
Hadada ibis which is thought to epitomise witchcraft
- for whatever reason!
Crested Cranes
Another unique bird associated with wetlands in East
Africa is the crane, often called crested crane and
sometimes called Uganda crane. There are several
species here but this crested crane is the most
common. It is found mostly in tall grasses and
cultivated areas, but breeds mainly in marshes. It's
also roost and nests in wet areas and is therefore
commonly associated with marshlands even though they
may be found feeding away from water. The crane is
the symbol of the court of arms for the Republic of
Uganda, perhaps an indirect indication of their
widespread distribution there. This would not be
surprising because the birds are associated with
swamps and estuaries which are not in short supply
in Uganda.
This article mentions just a sample of birds that
you are likely to see on a tour to the Rift Valley
Lakes of Kenya. There hundreds of other floating and
shoreline birds including plovers, coots, gulls,
etc. |
