Secretarybird

It's the body of an eagle on the legs of a crane!

The secretarybird (Sagittarius serpentarius)is a mishmash of parts, designed for hunting snakes, rodents, and insects. It often captures and kills its prey by stomping. Those legs make it a fierce snake-fighter!

With their ornate feathered headgear, secretarybirds are easily identified. They lope about sub-Saharan grasslands with speed. It also helps that they can stand more than one meter in height.

Sadly, habitat loss is pushing this marvelous creature toward extinction. It was added to the endangered species list in 2020.

See a secretarybird for yourself in 2026. Join us on an African safari.

Red-faced

Have you ever wondered why some birds have featherless skin around their faces? This feature serves several purposes. First it is hygienic (and easier to keep clean). This is useful for carrion-eaters (like vultures) or wader-hunters like this yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis). Second, it communicates. When it is ready to breed, the facial skin of this stork turns deeper red, the color of the yellow bill intensifies, the legs turn bright pink, and even the feathers gain a pinkish tinge. Third, and finally, featherless skin helps dissipate heat. I'm not sure that's a big deal with stork faces (!), but it has been noted as a factor with their legs.

All in all, it's a brilliant design.

The yellow-billed stork is commonly found in East Africa. I photographed this one in Tanzania.

If you want to see a yellow-billed stork for yourself, join us next year on safari!

Stuck in the Mud

Yes, that is us stuck in the mud. And yes, the wildebeests in the distance are a part of "the Great Migration."

Fortunately, we found one friend to pull us out and another to celebrate our predicament with a photograph. Our driver, Emmanuel, suffered a few chuckles.

I helped by providing keen analysis from the side window.

Savvy Scavengers

Clean up patrol. A spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) finds and feeds on a hippo carcass on the edge of Lake Magadi, Tanzania.

The hyena is a clever and opportunistic scavenger. In fact, did you know that the spotted hyena is capable of outsmarting a chimpanzee in laboratory problem-solving tests?

I guess these creatures just need a better PR representative.

Racing Stripes

They have racing stripes.

Clocked at 40 mph, Thompson's gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii) is the fourth fastest animal on the planet. Not surprisingly, these spry antelopes live alongside the cheetah, the fastest animal on the planet (bursts to 65 mph and beyond). A well-timed juke or jump may be the difference between life and death.

I spotted these tommies recharging their batteries in the Serengeti.

Cheer some sprints. Registration for our next African safari closes on Dec 5, 2025. Only a few seats remain.

An Eight-color Bird

The lilac-breasted roller (Coracias caudatus) sports eight colors: green, white, black, yellow, turquoise, dark blue, reddish-brown, and lilac.

It's the only little bird that provokes safarists to "oooh and aaah" like they've seen a cheetah!

Photograph a lilac-breasted roller for yourself. Join us on safari in 2026.

This Bustard is a Bruiser

The Kori Bustard (Ardeotis kori) is a bruiser. A mature male can weigh up to 40 pounds, making it the heaviest bird in Africa capable of flight. And like a rumbling C-5, that flight is not pretty. The slow beat of a 9 foot wingspan takes time, but eventually lifts this big boy aloft.

I spotted this specimen in the Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania. Wish I had a scale to show size. I went black and white to highlight its complicated markings.

See a Kori Bustard for yourself. Come with us on an African safari.

A Petite Treasure

This dwarf antelope (Raphicerus campestris) is one of Africa's petite treasures. Identified as a steenbok (from Afrikaans for "brick," because of its reddish-brown color), a mature adult stands about 20 inches at the shoulder and may weight 25 pounds. Steenboks are known for large ears, and in the case of males, short upright horns.

If threatened, a steenbok will first crouch and hide. If that fails, it sprints in a zig-zag fashion.

We spotted this female in the Serengeti.

How do you feel?

Sometimes I feel this way.

Other times, I use my fingers.

The Bird Gymnast

Northern white-crowned shrike (Eurocephalus ruppelli) on a thorny acacia branch. These little East African birds acrobatically dive from their perches, swooping on insects near or close to the ground.

They are distinctively colored: white and brown with a black eye stripe.

Falsetto Screamer

A couple of Yellow-billed storks (Mycteria ibis) for your Thursday morning. I found this pair hanging out by a pond in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania.

This species is generally non-vocal, but can "utter hissing falsetto screams during social displays."

Sounds like Facebook.

Snake Killers

A pair of steppe eagles (Aquila nipalensis) devour a python.

While snakes do not feature largely in their diet, they are powerful and opportunistic eaters who dine on reptiles, small mammals, insects, and even carrion.

Loss of habitat has rendered the steppe eagle an endangered species. They migrate seasonally from Asia to Africa.

This pair was photographed in the Serengeti.

See eagles (or pythons!) for yourself. Safari with us in 2026.

Check out those Horns!

Here's another Grant's gazelle (Nanger granti), a largish antelope often seen in Kenya and Tanzania.

This shot shows off their distinctive horn set. These taper gently from base to point, curving back and outward before tipping in. Distinct rings (or ridges) may be seen along the length of this lyre-shape.

Both males and females of the species have horns. They are used for combat and display.

Clan Behavior

Here's one of about 550 spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) that call Ngorongoro crater (Tanzania) home. These carnivores are organized into eight identified clans with a strict linear hierarchy. At the top each clan? A alpha-female. Yup, hyena society is matriarchal in structure.

Female hyenas tend to remain in their clan for life. Young males often emigrate and join another clan.

See (and hear!) a spotted hyena for yourself. Join us on safari in 2026.!

Can You See Me?

The Black-bellied Bustard (Lissotis melanogaster) is a ground bird of sub-Saharan Africa. The male is magnificently adorned in a lacy pattern of black, white, and brown, helping camouflage its presence in the grass.

Nursing Mum

Nursing calf. Look at his curled little trunk! Is mama smiling?

You knew that elephants were mammals, right? Did you know that elephants have two breasts like humans, not udders like cows, or rows of teats like dogs? These glands are located in the elephant's chest, between its front legs. Elephant calves (and mothers) nurse while standing, not lying down.

Join us on an African safari. February 18-28, 2026

Stealthy and Deadly

Verreaux's Eagle-owl (Bubo lacteus) is a huge (24 inches long) raptor common to the woodlands of east Africa. By day, they roost and sleep in the shade. By night, they hunt, dropping quietly out of the darkness upon amphibians, fish, reptiles, and small mammals (even monkeys!). They have stealth technology: small hair-like textures line the edges of their feathers. These eliminate wing-flapping sounds. The weight of this eagle-owl--combined with talon strength--kills immediately upon impact.

Don't worry. You're not going to hear this one coming.

Impala with Oxpeckers

This stately antelope (Aepyceros melampus) is a crowd-favorite. Impalas have a glossy coat of cinnamon and cream and a white belly. Black hairs ring the eyes, tip the ears, head, and feet, and form a distinctive "M"-shape on the buttocks ("Mmmmmm," says the carnivores! "Mmm-pala.").

Running down an impala is no easy task. They can sprint upwards of 55 mph, cut sharply, and leap 10 feet high and 30 feet forward.

Two oxpeckers rest on this female. These birds pick at parasites and wounds on her skin.

Little Bee-eater eating a Little Bee

How about a Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus) for your Tuesday morning? This one is doing just what you would expect: eating a bee!

The bee was likely caught mid-flight (I didn't witness it) by this darting little bird. The bee is then slammed against a hard surface to remove the stinger before being consumed (I wish I could have witnessed that!).

Little Bee-eaters are gorgeously attired with a green back, a yellow and orange throat, and a black (and blue) eye line.

They are common to sub-Saharan Africa. I spotted this one in northern Tanzania.

Monsoon winds and Indian Ocean travel

Seasonal winds on the Indian Ocean provided opportunity for ancient sailors to move from port to port.