Pelicans

Great White Pelican

175 cm | 70" (wingspan 290 cm | 115")

General notes: East Africa is host to two of the world's eight pelican species. Both have different feeding strategies but rely on their huge bills, equipped with an expandable pouch, to catch fish. With their large, webbed feet, pelicans are great swimmers and you may notice that they sit high in the water for such bulky birds. This is because air sacs secreted under the skin help to maintain excellent buoyancy. Despite their great size pelicans are fantastic fliers and routinely commute over 100 km in search of feeding grounds, sometimes soaring 2–3 km above the ground. Both species are colonial breeders and gatherings of the noisy, fluffy white young form substantial crèches at breeding sites. At Lake Naivasha, both species are threatened by excessive water abstraction and rising toxicity levels due to the ever-expanding horticultural industry.

A huge, white waterbird with a bright yellow bill. Large flocks of this impressive bird gather in the Rift Valley, especially at Lake Nakuru where groups are very approachable as they loaf and preen along the water's edge. When feeding, groups gather in circles and plunge their mighty bills into the water in unison, creating quite a spectacle. Breeding birds develop a semi-erectile crest and the facial skin colour changes from the usual yellow to orange. The overall plumage of such birds turns quite peachy, so be careful not to confuse this species with the Pink-backed Pelican which, strangely, looks less pink than a breeding Great White! It only breeds on rocky islands on Lake Elementeita, but not every year. Young birds are able to fly after 3 months, when their plumage is still very brown, and may take 3 years to reach maturity.

BIRDS OF LAKE AND MARSH

Pink-backed Pelican

150 cm | 60" (wingspan 240 cm | 96")

A large, greyish waterbird with a dull-coloured bill. This is the smaller of the two East African pelicans. It is less numerous than the Great White Pelican and does not engage in group-feeding activities. The Pink-backed Pelican nests colonially in trees and breeding birds acquire a yellowish bill and paler body plumage, but this is never as bright as the Great White Pelican's and stays fairly drab for much of the year. It also acquires a comical shaggy crest during the breeding season. Despite the bird's name, it can be very difficult see the 'pink back' at any time during the year.

Darter and cormorants

African Darter 79 cm | 31"

A snake-necked bird of quiet waters. While built on a similar frame to the cormorants, the African Darter is a far more refined bird with an air of elegance about it. It has a long, slim neck and sharp bill that is used to spear fish like a harpoon – and it is not uncommon to see a bird rise from an underwater dive with a fish impaled on the end. Darters often swim on the surface with their backs submerged and can be difficult to find when just the long neck and head are exposed. At the breeding grounds, such as Lake Baringo, pairs nest in the company of herons and egrets. Young birds are white and fluffy.

Reed Cormorant 53 cm | 21"

A dark, duck-sized bird of open waters. Considerably smaller than the Great Cormorant, this bird is also much smaller in its proportions, with the exception of having a comparatively longer tail (and hence is often referred to as Long-tailed Cormorant). Adults are dark-necked and immatures much paler, while breeding adults sport a short crest above the bill. Although less obvious than the Great Cormorant, this bird is numerous and widespread across the Rift Valley lakes.

Great Cormorant 100 cm | 40"

A pied, goose-sized bird of open waters. There is great variation in the plumage of these thickset waterbirds: some adults are white-breasted, whereas others are mostly black with a white chin. However, when in breeding plumage, all show a large white patch on the thigh. Immature birds are usually off-white on the entire underside. With the benefit of impressive webbed feet, they are excellent swimmers and their diet consists almost entirely of fish caught underwater. Flocks of these cormorants are often seen following feeding parties of Great White Pelican (page 26), chasing fish that they flush. Various races of Great Cormorant can be found across Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and the eastern seaboard of North America.

Egrets

Yellow-billed Egret 70 cm | 27"

A medium-sized, white heron with a yellow bill. Also known as Intermediate Egret, this bird is indeed intermediate in size between the larger Great White Egret and other smaller species, such as Cattle Egret. However judging size is only really possible when the different species are close by. Instead, try to base your identification on two other features – the gape and the neck. The gape is the line that runs from the bill opening and in this species does not extend beyond the eye (unlike Great White Egret). The neck is obviously elongated and shows at least one kink, quite unlike the Cattle Egret (page 32) which is invariably hunched most of the time and does not show a kinked neck. The leg colour changes from yellow to black in the breeding season but never has the mixed colour combination of Little Egret. Like all other egrets, the neck is recoiled backwards in flight.

Little Egret 64 cm | 25"

A medium-sized, white heron with a slim, black bill. The Little Egret is a delicate bird sharing many similarities with the larger Great White Egret but always shows black legs with bright-yellow feet. Also, the black bill contrasts with a yellow patch of skin in front of the eyes and a good view will usually reveal a long, elegant crest. This species has a rarely seen 'dark morph' plumage that is slaty-grey all over except for a white chin but beware of similar dark herons such as Western Reef Heron and Dimorphic Egret (neither shown) that are scarce wanderers to inland waters.

Great White Egret 92 cm | 36"

A large, elegant and long-necked white heron that is rarely seen far from water. Although the largest of the white egrets, confusion with other species is possible, especially the Yellow-billed Egret. By far the most reliable feature to separate these otherwise similar species is the length of the gape (the visible line that runs from the bill opening), which extends well behind the eye in this species. As with other egrets, the plumage varies slightly according to the time of year. Birds in breeding plumage show a greenish patch of skin at the base of a black bill, long white plumes flowing from the back and breast, and yellowish legs. Non-breeding birds have an all-yellow bill, blacker legs and lack the elegant white plumes.

Small herons

Cattle Egret 56 cm | 22"

A small, short-necked, white egret that associates with grazing animals. Often found in open areas such as grassy plains and arid pasture, where they feed among herds of wild Cape Buffalo or domesticated livestock, these egrets will routinely visit rivers and marshes in order to preen and roost. It is here where they may be confused with other egrets that are associated with water, but this is the only egret that habitually gathers in large flocks. Cattle Egrets have far shorter necks than the other egret species (pages 30–31) and are usually seen hunched when roosting. In breeding plumage, birds develop bright-orange tones to the crest and chest, and the facial skin turns bright-red. At this time, the legs are orange, while non-breeding birds show black legs and all-white plumage.

Striated Heron 40 cm | 15¾"

A small, dark heron of the lake edge. Its body plumage is mostly grey but it shows pale feather edges, subtle white stripes in the face and a black cap that is erected when the bird is excited or agitated. In the breeding season, its legs change from yellow to pink. Immature birds are similar but heavily streaked on the throat and spotted on the back and wings. In flight, the short yellow legs are obvious, and this is when you are most likely to hear its call – a short, sharp, barking growl.

Squacco Heron 46 cm | 18"

A small, pale heron of marshy areas. Common along the edges of freshwater in the Rift Valley, the Squacco Heron appears short and bull-necked. In breeding plumage, birds are beige with long, cinnamon plumes down the back and a series of black and white plumes emerging from the neck. Immature and non-breeding birds are typically more streaky and have a darker brown back. In flight, birds of all ages show snow-white wings and tail that contrast with the browner colouration of the back. It breeds regularly at Lake Baringo and sporadically elsewhere.

Grey herons

Grey Heron 100 cm | 39"

A large, white-and-grey heron of open water and marsh. Adult birds are easily identified by their whitish head, neck and belly, and sport long, black feathers that extend from above the eye down the back of the neck. Immature birds show more grey in the face and lack the adults' black facial plumes. In flight, birds show darker flight feathers on the upperwing, while the underwing is uniform grey with no contrast. An accomplished fisherman, the Grey Heron is not beyond taking other prey such as reptiles, young birds and small mammals. The commonly heard call is a loud "fronk".

Black-headed Heron 92 cm | 36"

A mostly dark, medium-sized heron of marshes and plains. Smaller and darker than the Grey Heron, this species shows a white throat that contrasts markedly with the darker head and back of the neck. In flight, the upperwing is darker than in Grey Heron and the underwing shows an obvious contrast between the white coverts (front half of wing) and blackish flight feathers (back half of wing). Although fond of open marshes like other herons, the Black-headed Heron is frequently seen walking in grassy areas in search of frogs, lizards and snakes. It has an unrushed approach to killing snakes and it is not uncommon to see the snake wrapping itself around the bird's bill – making for spectacular wildlife viewing!

Black-crowned Night-heron 60 cm | 24"

A pale, hunched nocturnal heron. As the name suggests, this bird is primarily a nocturnal feeder but can be found during daylight hours. It prefers to spend most of the day sleeping in trees and bushes in loose groups (often in Yellow-barked Acacia), when its hunched silhouette is often all that can be seen. When adults are out in the daytime, they are easy to identify. However, immature birds, which are dark brown and heavily spotted, could be confused with immature Striated Heron (page 33) but that species is much smaller. The best time to see these birds is during the hour before sunset when they begin to emerge from their roosts and fly to feeding areas, looking very pale-winged as they do. Night-herons give a loud, growling "quark" when disturbed.

Dark herons and Hamerkop

Hamerkop 56 cm | 22"

The Hamerkop (Dutch and Afrikaans for Hammer Head) is an oddity among African herons because of its all-brown colour, peculiar 'hammer-head' and short legs. Like other herons, it is an accomplished fisherman and is often seen at the water's edge waiting for frogs and fish to come within striking distance. Other feeding tactics include wiggling its feet in mud to stir up food items, and flying into the wind, close to the water, dipping at the surface to pick off fish. The Hamerkop's nest is built in a strong tree, and is added to each year. These extended constructions offer 'apartments' for other birds, such as sparrows and weavers. Abandoned Hamerkop nests are frequently taken over by a variety of species, including raptors.

Goliath Heron 152 cm | 60"

A huge, chestnut-headed and grey-backed heron of lakes and quiet waters. With its huge, dagger-shaped bill and gigantic proportions, this really is an impressive bird by anyone's standards. In flight, look out for the rich-chestnut underwing and very broad wings. In the Rift Valley, it could be confused with the similar-looking Purple Heron but is much bigger in both size and proportions. Take time to enjoy this bird fishing and, if it appears to be resting, you may be lucky enough to watch it sunbathing, when it stands facing the sun with its wings held half-open.

Purple Heron 85 cm | 34"

A slim, chestnut-headed and grey-backed heron of lakes and quiet waters. Although similar in plumage to the Goliath Heron, which appears huge and powerful, this neat heron always looks slim and elegant. It also shows more extensive black streaking on the face and neck than the Goliath Heron and has a paler bill that often appears yellowish. It is very much at home in reedbeds and is therefore not always easy to find. In flight, both Goliath and Purple Herons show a rich maroon-chestnut underwing but Purple Heron shows a contrast between the greyish back and darker flight feathers, a feature that Goliath Heron does not show.

Dark storks

Abdim's Stork 81 cm | 32"

A mostly black stork with a colourful face. Like the scarce Black Stork, the Abdim's Stork is a non-breeding migrant that arrives from October to April but unlike that species it may descend in thousands. It breeds in central Africa where it is considered a good luck symbol and bringer of the rains. Like other grassland storks, this bird walks endlessly in search of grasshoppers, locusts, small reptiles and amphibians. Abdim's Stork is the smallest of all true storks and shows a conspicuous white belly in flight as well as a white rump, which easily separates it from the dark-rumped Black Stork.

Black Stork 102 cm | 40"

A large, glossy black stork. Often encountered alone and rarely in numbers exceeding five, the Black Stork is a handsome bird. Adults show a long, bright-red bill and eye-ring, both of which appear duller on immature birds, and the plumage is black with a colourful oily iridescence. Like Abdim's Stork, this bird shows a white belly but lacks the white rump of that species. Unlike the popular White Stork (page 40), which nests on rooftops in towns across southern Europe, this bird is more reclusive, preferring instead to nest in forests and on cliffs.

African Open-billed Stork 81 cm | 32"

An all-dark stork with a large bill. These are non-breeding seasonal wanderers that arrive in vast flocks, sometimes numbering thousands, when the marshes are wet. They are specialist snail-feeders that use their stout bills, which show an obvious gap near the tip, to crack open the shells like a set of nutcrackers before manoeuvring the soft mollusc down the throat. In flight, flocks soar on flat wings, when they bear an uncanny resemblance to a prehistoric pterodactyl! The closest breeding colonies are on Lake Victoria but our visiting birds are more likely to arrive from larger colonies across central Africa

White storks

White Stork 122 cm | 48"

Distinctive black-and-white storks of long grass plains. These birds are non-breeding migrants from Europe that usually arrive during October and depart in April, although a few birds have been known to stay in southern Africa to breed. Their movements are dependant upon the rains and the water levels within the Rift, but after re-fuelling from a long journey many birds will continue onwards to the Serengeti. They frequently gather in vast flocks numbering in excess of 5,000 birds. The superficially similar Yellow-billed Stork has a longer, yellow bill and distinctive red facial skin. In Europe, White Storks are frequently found nesting on the rooftops of buildings and feature in traditional European folklore as the deliverer of babies.

Saddle-billed Stork 145 cm | 57"

A large, pied stork of marshy areas with a huge, red-and-black bill. The name comes from the bright-yellow, leathery 'saddle' on top of the bill. Although these storks are not abundant, they are easy to identify on account of their distinctive plumage. Solitary birds can often be found wading through wet grass searching for frogs and catfish, and it can be great fun watching them tackle larger prey. Males have a dark eye and females a yellow eye, and both have bright-pink 'kneecaps'. Young birds are greyish and their bill is shorter and lacks the colour of an adult. They take two years to reach maturity, during which time they gradually attain their clean black-and-white plumage and yellow saddle.