What to Know About the Hamerkop in Uganda?

The Hamerkop in Uganda is one of the African Uganda birds seen during Uganda birding safaris. The hamerkop is also called a hammerhead stork/ hammerhead/ hammerkop/hammerkopf/ umberbird/tufted umber/anvilhead or umbrette.

The hamerkop belongs to domain-Eukarya, kingdom-Animalia, phylum-Chordata, class eves, order-pelecaniformes, family-scopidae (its family is unique because of its unique characteristics), genus-Scopus and species-Umbretta.

It’s a relatively medium sized bird with the length of 56cm (22inches) and weight is about 470g (17 ounce) and the length of its wingspan ranges between 90-94cm.

The hamerkop has a life span of up to 20 years and this is really long if compared with the lifespan of other wading birds.

In Africa, some traditions associate this bird to lightening, leprosy and even death. This has for a longtime increased to their killing by humans and has turned it into a mysterious legend.

How Does the Hamerkop in Uganda Look Like?

A hamerkop is a unique medium sized bird with brown feathers and a hammer-like head, just like its name, the head of this bird combines with the back crest and its curved bill to make up a shape of a hammer.

It has a relatively shorter neck and legs which is rare among aquatic birds, and its feet is partly webbed-to enable it walk in shallow water looking for prey.

The brown plumage of a hamerkop have a slight purple sheen at the back. The edge of its bill is slightly curved but almost straight and the bill is long.

The hamerkop`s feet are actually not fully webbed, its middle toe reveals a comb-like appearance, just like the feet of herons.

Its tail is short and large, the wings are wide and round-tipped to enable its flight at a higher altitude.

How Does the Hamerkop in Uganda Make Calls and Sing?

A hamerkop is usually quiet but when they are in a group, they can make noise. While flying, hamerkops usually cackle and provide a shrill cry during flight.

Where Does the Hamerkop in Uganda Live?

Hamerkops live in all kinds of wetlands from rivers, marshes, lakes and temporary seasonal ponds, depending on season.

They are common in places with easy access to large water bodies, even manmade waterways like dams and irrigation channels.

In Uganda, they are common on the shores of River Nile in Murchison falls National park

How Does the Hamerkop in Uganda Behave?

The behavior of a hamerkop is unique from other wading birds! One most unique behavior is the ceremonial gathering of about 10 hamerkops, they decide to start running in circles together as they callout loudly and flatter their wings while their crests are raised.

They call also be sighted performing false mounting by standing on top of each other even if they are not companions.

Their mounting of each other does not actually mean they are copulating. While in groups, hamerkops are quite vocal and can also be seen spying the ground while comfortably perched on the huge backs of hippos.

What Does the Hamerkop in Uganda Feed On?

A hamerkop is a fresh-eater bird and feeds mostly on amphibians. It can also feed on fish, shrimps, small insects and rodents if found.

Hamerkops hunt and eat singly during the day, they have a break to rest in the noon. When accompanied by the mate, they feed in pairs.

How Does the Hamerkop in Uganda Feed?

Just like herons and storks, hamerkops hunt in shallow water, by shuffling their feet slowly with one foot at the bottom and silently catch the prey off guard.

Hamerkops also flap their wings suddenly in order to flush out the hiding preys. Hamerkops are also capable of feeding during while flying over the water, they can slid over and suddenly dip down to grab fish.

They are good predators however larger birds such as fish eagles in most cases raid them from their prey and this compels them to catch a lot of prey in order to satisfy their appetite.

How Does the Hamerkop in Uganda Breed?

Hamerkops display social courtship in the months of August and September however they breed all year round.

The male and female hamerkop display courtship by gathering around their nesting site and start calling at once, they also encircle each other and start to display their plumage.

In this courtship behavior, the males can falsely copulate with females by mounting on top of the female but when in actual sense they are not copulating.

Real copulation happens during nest building or when they are completing the nest.

How Does the Hamerkop in Uganda Nest?

One of the most famous and unique behavior about hamerkops is their tendency of building huge and strong nest up to a width of 1.5 meters (4.1 ft.) all round with over 10,000 sticks.

The nest of a hamerkop is stronger to the extent of supporting a man`s weight. The outer areas of the nest are decorated with various bright-colored objects collected around their home.

Hamerkops prefer building on trees over rivers, ponds and lakes. Hamerkop nests can however also be seen on river banks, dams, riverbanks or even on the ground.

Hamerkops normally build in a pair. They both collect materials like sticks and mud to create a strong podium that serves as a foundation.

Mud acts as cement to hold together the many sticks. When the platform is done, they build a wall encircling the platform and then top it with a round roof.

They leave a small opening of about 13-18cm wide at the bottom of the nest which then unlocks into the underpass with the length of about 60cm and finally into the nesting compartment.

The chamber is built in the widest part of the nest to create enough room for both the parents and young ones during breeding.

Hamerkops do not only build purposely for breeding, they can build up to five very strong nests in a year even if they are not breeding.

Because their nests are big and strong enough, other stronger birds like eagle owls and barn owls often chase the hamerkops away and occupy the nests.

However, when these interlopers finally leave the nest, hamerkops again reclaim ownership and reuse their nest.

Unimaginable, abandoned nests for hamerkops are used by big snakes, and small mammals like Genets for shelter.

Other birds like pigeons, weaver bird and starling use those abandoned by hamerkops and supporters by building theirs on top of them.

How Does the Hamerkop in Uganda Reproduce?

Females lay between 3-7 oval white-colored eggs, these eggs become tainted and later soiled. Incubation takes about 28-30days and it is done by both the male and female parents.

After hatching, both parents take equal responsibility of feeding the chicks. At hatching, the chicks are covered with gray plumage but develop the plumage of the adults after one-month period.

Parents continue to attend their young ones up to 50days and thereafter, the chicks leave their parent`s nest and return to rest at night for another extra 10-15days before they are considered to be mature and independent.

What is Threatening the Hamerkop in Uganda?

Mature hamerkops are rarely threatened by predators due to their quickness and flying skills. However, the young hamerkops and eggs are often prone to predation by snakes and monitor lizards which wonder around the nests of hamerkops.

About 50% of the eggs produced are estimated to be eaten by predators and about 30-40% of the chicks become pray before they could reach the flying stage.

As this wading bird grow older, threats of being predated also reduce and this enables it to live longer with a life span of up to 20 years.