World Image Issue 48 September 2017

This juvenile Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk
(Melierax canorus) I photographed it earlier in the
year in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the
Northern Cape, South Africa. The adult however
has grey upper parts with a white rump. The
central tail feathers are black tipped with white and
the outer feathers are barred grey and white.
Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk females usually
mate with a single male. However, a female and
two males may form a trio under certain
conditions.
Fact: South Africa has 2 species of Chanting
Goshawk - Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk
(Melierax canorus) and the Dark Chanting-
Goshawk (Melierax metabates)
Southern Africa has many species of Hornbill (10)
but our most common and photogenic by far is the
Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill (Tockus
leucomelas). I was fascinated by this Hornbill's
feet when I took this shot in South Africa's Kruger
National Park, not noticing it before it reminded me
of human babies foot/sole as it was scratching
itself.
Fact: Once mated female Hornbill's will seal
themselves inside the nest (tree hollow) by
blocking the entry with a wall made from her
droppings and food remains. The male will help by
bringing mud for her to work with. The only
opening left is a vertical slit from the top to the
bottom. The male passes food to her through this
slit with his beak. Her droppings and food remains
are also squeezed out through this slit.
The female will also shed all of her flight and tail
feathers simultaneously and regrow them during
the time she is sealed in the nest with the chicks.
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