Tag: beak

Crusted

During the heat of the day, rhinos will rest up in shade or find a mud wallow. The mud not only cools them down but protects the skin against parasites and the sun. Rhinos tend to move around more during the night when it is cooler and more bearable. They will also drink water whenever available. Rhinos sleep standing up or lying down and can sleep up to 8 hours a day at intervals. They can be found dozing under a tree during a hot day, but when they take a deep sleep, they lie down with their feet curled up slightly to the one side. They sleep very deeply and can easily be approached. These mammals are easily recognised by their prehistoric features and the horns on their forehead. Rhinos are bold and have been seen to graze right next to Lions, with the Lions being equally unfazed. Poachers are greatly responsible for the decreasing Rhino population.
Info source: http://www.krugerpark.co.za/faq-on-rhino.html
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The photo was taken during September 2017 near Malelane Gate, Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Crusted

Picture of the day, Wildlife

Diagonal

The African Stonechat males have a black head, a white half-collar, a black back, a white rump, and a black tail; the wings are black with a large white patch on the top side of the inner wing. The upper breast is usually dark orange-red, with a sharp or gradual transition to white or pale orange on the lower breast and belly depending on subspecies. In a few, black replaces the orange breast feathers in part or entirely. Females have brown rather than black above and on the head with an indistinct paler eyebrow line, chestnut-buff rather than orange below, and less white on the wings. Both sexes’ plumage is somewhat duller and streakier outside the breeding season.
Info source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_stonechat
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The photo was taken during November 2017 at Rietvlei Nature Reserve, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.

Diagonal

Picture of the day, Wildlife

Beady

The Crowned Lapwing prefers dry, open habitats, either with or without scattered trees. It has benefited from the habitat impacts of both affluent and poor communities; golf courses, sports fields and airports, on one hand, and overgrazing on the other. In some areas, the presence of Crowned Plovers is an indicator of mismanagement of ranchlands. In South Africa, Crowned Plovers move locally in response to changing conditions. Crowned Plovers, like many of the wader species breeding in South Africa, have a long breeding season, often starting in August and ending in May. In addition, a pair may have more than one successful breeding attempt. If nests or chicks are lost, further attempts to breed may occur. They lay two eggs in a scrape in the sand, lined with vegetation or small pebbles. The eggs take about a month to hatch and the chicks between four and five weeks to fledge.
Info source: http://www.adu.uct.ac.za/adu/projects/shorebirds/crowned-plover
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The photo was taken during December 2017 at Rietvlei Nature Reserve, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.

Beady

Picture of the day, Wildlife