The hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) (its name means 'hammer head' in Afrikaans) is a master builder and creates one of the largest nests of any individual bird, usually in a tree near a marshy area where it feeds on frogs, tadpoles, fish and insects. The nest-building process takes about six weeks. First the pair lays down a platform of stout sticks. Then they build walls - leaving a gap for the doorway - and finally erect a roof by stabbing inward-leaning sticks into the walls and piling material on top. The interior and doorway are plastered with mud. The nest can be as much as two metres from floor to rooftop and weigh more than 45kg.
The hamerkop is considered an unlucky bird and some Africans throw stones at it to prevent it flying over their homes or settling on their rooftops - events that supposedly presage death to one of the inhabitants.
_about_to_eat_a_fish.jpg "A hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) about to eat a fish.jpg (118 KB)")
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