#scopus umbretta

[birdblues]

Hamerkop

[snototter]

A hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) stands in the stream at Kruger National Park, South Africa

by Bruwer Burger

[critter-captures]

Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta), family Scopidae

The hamerkop is the only living species within both its genus (Scopus) and its family (Scopidae).

Dierenpark Zie-ZOO, taken June (first photo) and August (rest) 2024

[whats-in-a-sentence]

Social courtship displays including ritualized same-sex mounting occur commonly in Hammerheads throughout the year.

"Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity" - Bruce Bagemihl

[herpsandbirds]

Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta), family Scopidae, found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa

The taxonomic affinities of this bird have been greatly debated over the year, and now is believed to be in the Pelecaniformes.

This is the only bird in this family.

photograph by Natnael Tadele

[spinus-pinus]

Hamerkop Scopus umbretta

3/4/2023 San Diego Zoo Safari Park, California

[officialweezerelections]

BRACKET D

Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta)

Pointy

VERSUS

Capuchinbird (Perissocephalus tricolor)

One nomination says, “Are. Are you kidding me. It looks like someone took a perfectly good bird, removed the neck entirely, and attached an alien head onto its shoulders. The dark vacant eyes do not help. And if you think this is all, you're wrong. The sound it makes is....like an old computer attempting and failing to run.”

[inaturalist-propaganda]

[ID: A photograph of a hamerkop standing on a paved road. The hamerkop is a medium sized bird that stands almost upright, on long dark, unfeathered legs. It has brown feathers, with its most distinct feature being the shape of its head, which sits atop a skinny neck, with the back of the head made up of feathers, and the long beak on the front forming a shape similar to the head of a hammer, with the beak where the crowbar end is.

Part of the road behind the bird has been photoedited, so that it is a solid color almost matching the rest of the road. End ID.]

Observation by baldcoot.

In the original photographs, which you can see by going to the observation above, there’s a dead lizard on the road, which I edited out so more people can enjoy the post.

iNaturalist is a free website where anyone can upload photographs and sound recordings of plants, animals, and mushrooms they find, not only to share with others, but to help scientists all over the globe collect data and keep track of the species!

It’s also a great way to learn about what wildlife is around you!

fun fact: Hamerkops are also called lightning birds, and they are associated with vampires!

[hello-birdies]

Scopus umbretta by Basingstoke Hugh

[squawkoverflow]

A new variant has been added!

Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) © Charles J. Sharp

It hatches from brown, bushy, crested, deep, distinctive, high, large, long, nearby, rollicking, and squat eggs.

squawkoverflow - the ultimate bird collecting game          🥚 hatch    ❤️ collect     🤝 connect

[mandarb]

A Hamerkop, Scopus umbretta, that landed very close to us and started feeding. Got one photo of it when it caught a frog.

I learned today that the Hamerkop is the only member of it’s genus.

[birdblues]

Hamerkop & Great Egret

[philnewton]

The Early Bird by Phil Newton Via Flickr: Hamerkop Bird. Biyamiti, Kruger National Park, South Africa.

[nunoxaviermoreira]

Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) by Seventh Heaven Photography https://flic.kr/p/2hhSZy5

[whats-in-a-sentence]

Hammerheads are usually found in pairs or groups of 8-10 individuals, though larger groups of up to 50 birds may also congregate.

"Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity" - Bruce Bagemihl

[herpsandbirds]

Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta), family Scopidae, order Pelicaniformes, Ethiopia

The taxonomic affinities of this bird have been greatly debated over the years, and now is believed to be in the Pelecaniformes.

This is the only bird in this family.

Their closest relatives are the Shoebill.

photograph by Ian Davies