Tag: wildlife

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Common Snipe, a Wintering Visitor to East Africa Wetlands!

Photo by Joe Aengwo at Amboseli national park,Kenya.

The Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) is a migratory bird that is well known for its long migrations and distinctive behaviors. It is a member of the Scolopacidae family, which includes other waders and shorebirds.They typically migrate from their breeding grounds to Africa via a southwest route, traveling through the Mediterranean and then continuing southward across the Sahara desert, often arriving in tropical and southern parts of Africa.

Photo by Joe Aengwo at Amboseli national park,Kenya.

During their migration, Common Snipes seek wetlands areas for their wintering habitats. These include marshes, mudflats, riverbanks, and floodplains, where they can find ample food sources, such as insects, worms, and other small invertebrates.In East Africa, the Common Snipe is a common wintering migrant in wetland areas. During the non-breeding season, they are often found in countries like Kenya,Uganda and Tanzania. They tend to frequent marshes,riverine wetlands and sometimes rice paddies.

Photo by Joe Aengwo at Amboseli national park.

The Common Snipe’s ability to navigate vast distances and adapt to a variety of wetland environments makes it an interesting species to study, especially in relation to its migratory behavior and wintering ecology in Africa.

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The Saddle-billed Stork is a majestic and resilient species, whose stunning appearance and specialized behaviors make it one of the most remarkable birds of sub-Saharan Africa.

Photo by Joe Aengwo

The Saddle-billed Stork is one of the largest storks in the world, standing up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall. It is easily recognizable due to its unique black and white plumage, bright red legs, and the large, bicolored bill, which has a black base and a yellow section resembling a saddle. The bill’s distinctive shape helps the bird forage for fish and amphibians, which make up a large part of its diet. This bird also exhibits sexual dimorphism, with males typically being slightly larger than females.

They prefer shallow, slow-moving waters where they can wade and forage for food. The stork is usually solitary or found in small groups, although some may form pairs during the breeding season. They often choose to nest in tall trees near water, constructing large, conspicuous nests that are used year after year.

Saddle-billed Storks form monogamous pairs during the breeding season, which typically occurs during the rainy season, when food is abundant. They build large nests in tall trees, and both parents share the responsibility of incubating their eggs. The female typically lays one or two eggs, and both parents take turns keeping them warm for about a month. Upon hatching, the chicks are fed a diet of regurgitated food from both parents until they are able to forage on their own.Though they are not yet considered endangered, the Saddle-billed Stork faces threats from habitat destruction, particularly the draining of wetlands for agriculture and development.

They also face threats from hunting in some areas and the disturbance of their nesting sites.By continuing to protect its wetland habitats, we can help ensure that future generations will be able to admire this iconic and important bird species.Keep birding!.

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Yellow-spotted Barbet,one of the six species of forest Barbet found in Kenya.

Photo by Juhani Vilpo,a Finnish Wildlife Photographer

Barbets are often brightly coloured and easily recognisable since they are pretty active birds and mostly found around fruiting fig trees along rivers edges and forest.They are mostly frugivores and usually swallow fruit whole.With the long time it takes for the fruit to digest,barbets are therefore very effective dispersers of seeds in their respective habitat.

Globally,Barbets are holes nesters either on the trees,termites hills and in the ground and for that reason,their destribution in the local habitat are generally influenced by the presence of suitable trees,particularly those with soft,dead branches,which are much easier to peck out.

Yellow-spotted Barbet,is mostly found in the tropical rain forest of Kakamega in Kenya and extensively in Uganda and Congo.While on the similar habitat here you also have the chance of seeing Hairy-breasted,Grey-throated and Yellow-billed Barbets and all of the extremely beautiful to watch.