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Birds of Wildcliff Nature Reserve
Dedicated to
plant and wildlife conservation in South Africa's Cape Floral Kingdom
 Stanley or Denham’s Bustard (Neotis denhami)
Description. Very
large, cursorial bird of the open country. Black-striped head
with pale crown stripe and orange hind-neck. Variable amount of
white on wing; typically shows more white when wing is folded.
Displaying male will inflate throat to show off a conspicuous balloon
of white feathers. Female is smaller with less black on the head
and has paler, more marked back and less white in the wings.
Song/Call. Usually
silent; has been known to utter a guttural, barking ‘kaa-kaa.’
Male produces a deep, resonant booming sound when displaying.
Habitat. Inhabits
grasslands (with or without tree cover), agricultural land, thick shrub
land, arid-scrub plains and likes burnt grass areas.
Behavior.Intra-African
migrant. Usually solitary during the non-breeding season but may
be found in loose concentrations of up to 20 individuals during
migration. High site fidelity, often coming back to the same area
year after year. Adopts threat display with spread, trailing
wings and raised, fanned tail when defending food source (active
termitary). Will peck in animal droppings for dung beetles and
will wade thigh deep in water for frogs and emergent grass stems.
Flies very little and then only for short distances, except during
migration when up to 450 miles may be covered. In South Africa
individuals may migrate off of cold, high lying areas possibly to
eastern coastal regions.
Diet. Grasshoppers,
beetles, caterpillars, flies, ants and termites; flowers, leaves,
shoots, berries and roots. Also known to take colubrid snakes,
skinks, rodents and the eggs and nestlings of ground-nesting birds.
Reproduction.
Mating system in this species is unclear; however there is strong
evidence for monogamy. Observations made in South Africa suggest large
dispersed, open country leks with territorial males displaying up to
700 meters away from each other. The nest is a simple, shallow
scrape on ground or near crest of hillside between tufts of grass or in
the shade of an overhanging bough. In South Africa a clutch of
1-2 eggs is laid from Oct-Dec. Incubation is probably done by female,
however, male has been observed sitting with female at nest but unclear
as to whether the male was incubating.
Predators. No
regular predators for adults, possibly due to size and ability to fly;
sometimes hunted. Eggs and chick vulnerable to ground predators
(cats, snakes, mongoose, etc.) and many species of birds (shrike,
raptors, etc.).
On Wildcliff. Seen
in the trees around Talari and among the proteas.
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Links & References
- Wildcliff
Bird
List
- Birding
Resources Page
- N.J. Collar, P.D.
Goriup, and P.E. Osborne. Neotis denhami. In: Fry, C.H., Keith S. and
Urban K, eds. The Birds of Africa.
Vol. 2. London: Academic Press, 2000.
- Sinclair, Ian, and
Peter Ryan. Birds of Africa
South of the Sahara. Princeton: NJ: Princeton University Press,
2003.
- Sinclair, Ian, Phil
Hockey and Warwick Tarboton. Birds
of Southern Africa. 3rd ed. Princeton,
NJ: Princeton University Press, 2002.
Thanks to Conan Guard
for this page.
Based on sightings in
the immediate area, as many as 160
bird species may be seen at Wildcliff. If
you are interested in conducting an ornithological survey or study at
Wildcliff, please complete the Application Form on the research page.
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