The royal heron: photo, description

The native land of birds, which will be discussed in this article, are the most marshy areas of Africa, located to the south of the Sahara desert.

general information

The royal heron (or whale-head) is an almost unknown and very rare bird of unique appearance. The whale head is represented by a single, and unusual species, in connection with which it stands out as a separate family of the Kitohlavovs (a detachment of Stem-like) birds. His relatives are herons, storks, marabou and other shiny birds. Recent research has proved his relationship with the pelicans.

Most likely, this bird is a preserved link between modern birds and prehistoric ancestors of birds. Its difference from relatives is in a very massive head with a large beak equipped with a characteristic hook. The head of its width can be even slightly wider than the bird's body, and this is not typical not only for modern, but for ancient flying animals.

The whale-head is so little studied and unusual that it is one of the most mysterious and unique creatures on Earth. Being a relative of the marabus, storks, herons and pelicans by their order, they have nothing in common with the whales (Royal Heron) visually.

Description

The bird is called the "shoemaker" by the English. And this is not surprising, since the head of the bird, along with the beak, actually resembles a trampled shoe.

On the back of the head, the bird has a remarkable little crest. The neck of the whale head is so thin, even surprising, how it can withstand the weight of such a massive head. And the legs are very thin, and the tail, like a duck, is short. The bird is painted in modest colors: grayish plumage, yellow beak. Similarly, males and females do not have any distinctive features.

The growth of the bird reaches one and a half meters, and its weight is 15 kilograms. The length of the wingspan is 2 meters, therefore in flight it produces a rather impressive impression.

Perhaps, it is because of rather unusual external features that this bird is also called the royal heron.

Distribution, habitats

The whale, or royal heron, is distributed in a small area of Central Africa from Southern Sudan to Ethiopia (west): these are Zaire, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The bird was also seen in Botswana. Favorite places are marshy areas of the banks of the Nile (tropical regions of Africa).

Individual bird populations are small and scattered. The largest of them live in Southern Sudan.

Lifestyle, habits and nutrition

The whale head is perfectly adapted to life in swampy places. His long paws with large, widely spaced fingers allow you to move without much difficulty over similar soil. In shallow water, the whale-head can stand quite still for a long time.

The royal heron is most active at dawn, but it happens that it hunts during the day.

By its beak, like a net, the bird deftly scoops up with the substrate and water frogs and fish, which is very similar to the habits of pelicans. During the search for food she carefully examines in the water floating aquatic plants. It feeds mainly on fish (catfish, tilapia and protopters), as well as snakes, frogs and even young turtles.

In the process of hunting, the whale head behaves rather patiently. She can stand for a long time in one place with her head lowered in the water in anticipation of the appearance of fish.

Sometimes the royal heron cautiously and slowly walks in the thickets of reeds. When there is a potential prey, she immediately spreads her powerful wings and rushes to the victim, trying to catch her with her huge beak. The bird first separates its catch from the plants, after which it swallows the edible part. Quite often the whip-head tears off the head from the fish, and then eats it.

Nesting, reproduction

The period of nesting of the whale head directly depends on the region of its habitat. For example, in Sudan, it begins immediately after the end of the rainy season. The marital behavior of birds in nature has not been studied enough. The ritual of the whale-head in captivity consists of stretches of the neck and nods, from deaf sounds and clicking with a beak.

The royal heron nest builds from reeds and stems of papyrus. It represents in form a huge platform, the diameter of the base is 2.5 meters. The grass of the nest is lined with dry grass.

The female usually lays up to three eggs. Approximately a month later chicks are born, the care of which falls equally on both parents. The chicks are first covered with a soft gray fluff. Although their beaks are not very large, they already have a hooked sharp tip.

Usually, only one chick survives in the nest, which parents are fed with half-digested food. At 1 month of age, the young whale-eater is already feeding on larger fodder. Only when the 4-month-old age is reached, the chick completely becomes independent.

In conclusion: several interesting facts

Heron royal is quite an interesting and unusual bird. Below are some interesting facts about it:

• In the heat during nesting, the bird uses its unusual beak as a scoop. To maintain the desired temperature of the eggs, it cools them with water. And she "bathes" the already hatched chicks in the same way.

• The ability of birds to stay in one place for a long time without movement allows photographers to make successful shots. In connection with such a feature in one of the bird parks in Europe (Walsrode), there is an inscription on the informational plate about the whale head, which says that he is still moving.