The Week in Pictures: Summer Birds
by James Hobson on February 3, 2012
in Photography,Wildlife Diary This Week in Pictures focuses on birds and it courtesy of the photographic talent of Ranger James Hobson. In particular the images below take a look at some of the more colorful, migratory Summer birds that frequent Londolozi in the warmer months. Let me know which is your favorite image in the comments section below and enjoy this Week in Pictures…

A flock of southern carmine bee-eaters feed on insects that the white storks are flushing as they walk. This is a good example of commensalism; symbiosis where one species benefits by the presence of the other (the bee-eaters) and the other (the storks), neither suffers nor benefits.
White Stork by James Hobson
A marabou stork in all its glory! Contrary to belief, an inflated pouch is not an indication of food consumed, but rather the need to thermoregulate. They expand the sac to expose more blood to the cooling or warming influence of the air or sun.
Over the last few weeks we’ve seen quite a lot of vulture activity and on inspection there never seems to have been any predation involved. We’ve witnessed vultures descending on young impala lambs which have died of natural causes. Here a bunch of white-backed vultures squabbled over the remains.
A white-backed vulture comes into land amidst a feeding frenzy.
A white-backed vulture perches on a dead tree at sunset. Diagnostic of all vultures (with the exception of the bearded and palm-nut vultures) are the bald or lightly feathered heads and necks. This is an adaptation for probing around in dirty carcasses, the grime and body fluids being much easier to wash off than if the bird was fully feathered.

Slightly smaller than the malachite kingfisher, the violet-washed ear coverts are also diagnostic of the African pygmy-kingfisher. Interestingly, 5 of the 10 local species of kingfishes (despite their name) don’t actively hunt at water sources, the pygmy included. These birds mainly eat invertebrates and small vertebrates, captured away from water.
Unlike the pygmy above, the malachite is certainly aquatic. We were fortunate to have this one nesting in the bank next to Camp Dam for a while. Amazingly, these small tunnels can be dug up to a distance of 3 meters into banks. The point of the bill does get worn as some excavations can take up to 3 weeks or more, but because the keratin of the bill is ever-growing, the damage is quickly corrected.
Malachite Kingfisher by James Hobson

楼主能不能标一下叫什么鸟啊？鸟文我看不懂。谢啦

3楼
1.瘤鸭 Sarkidiornis melanotos
2.红嘴弯嘴犀鸟 Tockus erythrorhynchus（不太确定，它的尾巴呢？）
3.4.红嘴牛椋鸟 Buphagus erythrorhynchus
5.红蜂虎 Merops nubicus
6.白额蜂虎 Merops bullockoides（？）
7.红胸蜂虎 Merops oreobates
4楼
8.9.白鹳 Ciconia ciconia （小的是红蜂虎）
10.非洲秃鹳 Leptoptilos crumeniferus
11.12.非洲白背兀鹫 Gyps africanus
13.某背影（……）
5楼
14.15.16.粉颊小翠鸟 Ispidina picta
PS:欢迎指正


擦 拍的太给力了 请问楼主：资料上有标注拍摄者的相机和镜头型号么？

没看

有极乐鸟吗？最漂亮的那种