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Scopus umbretta umbretta 

Linguistics
Actual scientific name :   Scopus umbretta umbretta 
     
Old scientific name :   Scopus umbretta  
     
French name :   Ombrette
     
English name :   Hamerkop
     
Vernacular name :  
Kafunyi (Lunda); munshinge, mushinki (Kibemba) ; mujingi (Kiluba)
 


 

Zoology
Call :  
     
Description :   This brown bird can be distiguished by its characteristic silhouette. Head has a hammer-shaped profile with its flattened bill and its heavy crest.  
     
Habitat :   Typically african and always seen near water. Quite common in Katanga. 
     
Behaviour :    
     
Diet :    
     
Life history :   Nest is huge (about 2 metres in diameter; roof up to 1m thick) and has a small front entrance. It is plastered inside with mud. When weather is bad, parents shelter in the nest. Young (3 to 7) are mainly fed with tadpoles.  
     
Distribution in Katanga :   view map  
 
 
History, Ethnology, Sociology
Interactions with humans :    
     
Taboos :    
     
Legends, believes, folklore :   For teh East African tribes, teh hamerkop is teh king of birds. Each bird bring a twig for the making of its nest. A snake defends its nest. To kill a hamerkop is source of misfortune and the culpable will quickly die.
Malbrant describes the same believes by teh Arabs of Tchad. The hamerkop is the sultan of birds. Everyone contributes to the making of the nest.
According to Brehm, some of the tribes in Angloa believed that bathing in water frequented by a hamerkop provoked skin rashes. 
     
Fishing, hunting :    
     
Feeding :    
     
Breeding, taming :    
     
Uses of skin or other body parts :    
  


Warning :

This database was established according to official pieces of work and with the help of famous scientists. However, there might be some errors.

The vernacular names were collected in the field and in the colonial literature from the first part of the 20th century. The monks who established the first dictionaries were not necessarily informed naturalists. Therefore, errors must have been committed.

We invite everyone who could help us to improve this working tool to contact us in order to correct us and share her/his knowledge with us.



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