The second day of a 2-day safari in Tanzania was a visit to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, following a visit on the previous day to Tarangire National Park. Both areas are renowned for their natural beauty and natural resources, including large animals and birds. In part because this was my first visit to Africa, it seemed that everything I saw and experienced brought me a sense of wonder and delight.
The 3,100 square mile Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The official designation describes the natural and archeological attributes of the area that make it suitable as a World Heritage site. The Conservation Area includes the Ngorongoro Crater, whose crater floor area is about 100 square miles, as well as surrounding highlands and savanna plains adjacent to Serengeti National Park.
Although the UNESCO designation does not specifically emphasize bird life, it is abundant. I have found online references to 500 species for the Conservation Area and as many as 287 species for the Ngorongoro Crater. Many species are year-round residents, though some are seasonally migratory. Virtually all of the birds I saw at Ngorongoro were – except for a couple that I saw the previous day at Tarangire National Park – new entries to my life list. I felt fortunate that my guide also seemed interested in birds. At least, when I’d mentioned my interest the previous morning, he immediately pulled out a thick bird guide, probably this one; and when we stopped for a bird viewing he told me the English name, showed me the picture and entry in the book, and waited while I viewed the bird with my binoculars and then took as many pictures as I liked. I kept written notes in real time, which were critical to identifying the birds in my pictures. Of course, sometimes the bird flew or walked away before I was satisfied that I’d seen enough – but that’s how birding often goes! Another resource was a bird checklist for Ngorongoro Crater.
I had two cameras with me: my cell phone and a small point-and-shoot camera with 25x optical zoom plus an additional 4x of digital zoom. All of my bird pictures were taken with the point-and-shoot camera, and most were highly zoomed. Because I didn’t bring a big SLR camera with long lenses, my pictures are a little blurry or grainy to some degree. This compromise was driven in large part by the main purpose of the trip: to trek and summit Mt Kilimamjaro, so I’d wanted to limit bulk and weight of photography equipment. I truly appreciated that my guide had had naturalist training and was able to identify both animal and bird sightings. His knowledge certainly enhanced my overall experience.
This Google Earth image of my GPS data gives an idea of the drive within the Conservation Area. The coloring on the image indicates the general type of vegetation: darker green for forest, lighter green to brown for grassland, and so on. The oval-shaped whitish area inside the curve of the red track is Lake Magadi, a shallow alkaline lake on the crater floor. The game drive began where the purple track reaches the crater floor. The caret at the end of the purple track (and beginning of the red track) shows the location of the picnic area where we had lunch. And the red track shows the after-lunch portion of the drive and the exit from the Conservation Area.
GPS track for visit to Ngorongoro Conservation Area (click to enlarge)
Just as we were reaching the floor of the crater after descending nearly 2,000 feet from the crater rim, we made a series of bird sightings. The first was a sooty chat (Myrmecocichla nigra) on the ground in the short grass next to the park road. The absence of a patch of white feathers on the wings, as well as the overall color that is slightly brownish rather than black, indicates that this is a female.
Sooty chat (female)
The next sighting was only a few minutes later; as frequently happened, almost as soon as my guide started up the safari vehicle to move on at the end of one sighting, he would see something else – usually before I did – and immediately pull over and stop again. This sighting was a rather exciting one: a pair of little bee-eaters (Merops pusillus). I wasn’t familiar with bee-eaters, although I’d heard of them, so I wasn’t really prepared for the brilliant colors. The sun wasn’t particularly bright, but these little beauties were. I was completely captivated! These are the smallest bee-eaters in the region and the smallest birds I saw all day. When a bee-eater catches a meal – typically a bee, wasp, or hornet – it hits the insect on a hard surface to remove the stinger. I wonder if this pair has just eaten, since they are sitting on a rock.
Pair of little bee-eaters
Again just a few minutes and a very short drive later, we had a third bird sighting: an augur buzzard (Buteo augur) perched at the top of a tree or large shrub. It was pretty far away, and was silhouetted against the sky. My guide had stopped when he’d noticed the dark lump at the top of the tree. The augur buzzard is a fairly large buzzard, which is a type of bird of prey. In the picture the buzzard is facing away but looking over its shoulder in our general direction. Fun fact: the augur buzzard is the mascot of the Seattle Seahawks NFL team.
Augur buzzard perched high (and far away)
Once again just a short distance away my guide noticed a couple of helmeted guineafowls (Numida meleagris), members of the guineafowl family. All guineafowls are endemic to Africa; the range of helmeted guineafowl is extensive, from just south of the Sahara to South Africa. The head seems disproportionately small and is bare (no feathers), with red and blue skin and a distinctive yellowish structure called a casque (French word for helmet).
Helmeted guineafowl
Before long we encountered a blacksmith lapwing (Vanellus armatus) foraging in the grass. The black, grey, and white plumage is distinctive. The range of the blacksmith lapwing extends from northern Tanzania to the south coast of South Africa. The preferred habitat is close to water: any size collection of water. The floor of Ngorongoro Crater has many small springs and other small water sources, with small and large areas of mud and wet soil, providing appropriate habitat for this lapwing.
Blacksmith lapwing
Oxpeckers, also called tickbirds, are relatively small birds that forage for ticks, small insects, larvae, and other parasites on the coats of large animals such as buffaloes, impalas, zebras, cattle, hippos, rhinoceroses, and giraffes. There are just two species in the taxonomic family Buphagidae, and they are both endemic to sub-Saharan African savannas. I believe I was lucky enough to see both species on the same animal, a cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer). While I was taking pictures of the buffalo I noticed a small bird around the head and neck area. Zooming in for a close-up picture, it was clear that the bird was a yellow-billed oxpecker (Buphagus africanus), since I got a clear view of the bill and an eye. The yellow-billed oxpecker’s range is mostly in western Africa, with smaller areas in northern Tanzania around the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Yellow-billed oxpecker on a cape buffalo
Initially I thought there was only one oxpecker on the cape buffalo, but when I looked more carefully at my pictures I discovered a second – but only in one picture. This picture clearly shows two on the buffalo: one on the snout and one on the left foreleg. The one on the snout is the yellow-billed individual in the previous picture. However, the one on the leg appears to have a red bill and no white on the rump. That would make it a red-billed oxpecker (Buphagus erythrorhynchus), which is more prominent in eastern Africa although the ranges overlap in the region around the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. When I enlarge my original picture, it looks like the eye area could have some yellow – another characteristic of the red-billed oxpecker. Since I did not notice this second oxpecker at the time, I did not try to get better pictures of it.
Red-billed oxpecker, I think (on left foreleg)
While my guide and I were observing the cape buffalo, suddenly a flock of a dozen or so large white birds with some prominent black markings flew into the area, and some landed – including one right behind the buffalo. It left again quickly, and I only had time to snap a couple of poorly framed and not-well focused pictures. This picture, however, shows clearly that the flock was of African sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus). This is a large wading bird that prefers marshy wetlands and mud flats, feeding on insects and small crustaceans by wading in very shallow wetlands or walking in the soft soil of wet pastures and grasslands. The African sacred ibis is the only ibis in the Ngorongoro area with a white body; it also has a black neck and head, some black on the tail, and a black bill that curves downward. Even this quickly-shot picture is good enough to make a sure identification.
African sacred ibis next to cape buffalo
Following all of these observations, which were in relatively quick succession over a half hour or so, we were ready to continue our drive. Shortly we got to the intersection of the purple and red tracks on the GPS track image, and my guide turned left to go north. After several animal encounters my guide noticed a crowned lapwing (Vanellus coronatus) in the grass. This distinctive lapwing is found in a broad range from Somalia to southern Africa, and is considered more of a dry country bird than the blacksmith lapwing we saw earlier. The black headband, brown crown, and white stripe together give rise to the “crowned” name.
Crowned lapwing
Not far away there was a capped wheatear (Oenanthe pileata), characteristically standing up tall in the short grass. Although it is a relatively small bird, its markings help it to visually stand out against the background. In addition to the dark and white head coloring there is a wide black swoosh on the chest.
Capped wheatear
Next was a red-capped lark (Calandrella cinerea), about the same size as the capped wheatear, but with coloring that blends in much better with dry grasses. In general, larks prefer grassland and dry country. Ngorongoro is near the north end of its range, which extends through South Africa, and its populations are more scattered in the north. Its red-brown crown and shoulders are distinctive.
Red-capped lark
As mentioned in the previous post we spent 15-20 minutes enjoying a sighting of a pair of lions (Panthera leo). As it happened, near this spot but across the park road there were small expanses of open water. I’m not sure if they are related to small springs or to one of several rivers that drain into the crater from the surrounding rim. In any case, on the shore of a small area of open water that was next to the park road there was a small group (gaggle) of Egyptian geese (Alopochen aegyptiaco). This species is native to sub-Saharan Africa and is widespread. It has further spread, or been imported as an ornamental bird, in Europe and North America. Genetically it is somewhat intermediate between certain ducks, called dabbling ducks, and true geese. Its dark brown eye patches are distinctive.
Egyptian geese
We continued along the big loop to the northeast, mainly passing through open grassland, seeing animals we’d previously seen and several flowers. After a while we saw a solitary male common ostrich (Struthio camelus) walking through the grass rather purposefully. The grass was taller than where we saw the capped wheatear and red-capped lark, almost entirely obscuring the ostrich’s long legs. He seemed to be headed for the road in front of us, so we stopped a respectful distance away and watched. Sure enough, eventually he reached the road, walked across it, and continued into the grass on the other side. Of course I’ve seen ostriches previously in zoos, but this was a magnificent sight in the wild.
Common ostrich (male) crossing the park road
There are nine known species of ostrich, of which seven are extinct. The other living species, the Somali or blue-necked ostrich, is found in Somalia and northeastern Ethiopia. Ngorongoro common ostriches are the subspecies massaicus, named for the local Massai people. This subspecies is also called the pink-necked ostrich, and other subspecies are called red-necked ostrich and black-necked ostrich, for obvious skin color reasons. Another subspecies became extinct about 50 years ago. Ostriches can weigh up to 300 lb, and of course are unable to fly; but they are famously able to run fast – up to 30 mph sustained and nearly 45 mph in bursts to escape predators. Ostrich eggs are the largest bird eggs, but at the same time are the smallest relative to the size of the adult bird.
After the big loop through the grassland savanna the park road intersects another, and we turned left to head toward the official picnic spot for a lunch break. Along this road we found a kori bustard (Ardeotis kori), actually another superlative bird. It is, depending on definition, the largest flying bird native to Africa. Males weigh up to 40 lb and can still fly, thanks to a wingspan approaching 9 ft. Here is an interesting article on the world’s heaviest flying birds; sometimes it seems that there are many, many ways to define superlatives! But weight is certainly an important consideration for flying. The crest on the head and the black and white pattern on the bottom of the wings (when folded) are distinctive. Kori bustards are sometimes referred to as opportunistic omnivores: usually they eat insects, such as locusts and grasshoppers, as well as caterpillars, etc; but they also eat small vertebrates, rodents, and occasional eggs and nestlings. Finally, they also eat seeds, berries, leaves, roots, and similar plant parts.
Kori bustard
After our lunch break we returned along the same road, now following the red track in the GPS track image above. Before long we came to a small stream, which we’d apparently passed without stopping on our way to lunch. Here there were two beautiful wading birds virtually right next to each other. One was a yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis), sometimes called wood stork or wood ibis. It is widespread south of the Sahara and is also found in Madagascar. The red on the front part of the head is featherless skin. The pink legs and pink feathers indicate the breeding season. In this species breeding can be precipitated by abundant water and can happen any time year-round. Like other storks, the yellow-billed stork nests in trees.
Yellow-billed stork, with breeding coloration
The other adjacent wading bird was a black-headed heron (Ardea melanocephala); note that the species designation melanocephala is Greek for black-headed. Its range is similar to the yellow-billed stork’s range. The dark color on the back of the neck distinguishes the black-headed heron from the otherwise similar-looking grey heron. It is a bit smaller than the familiar great blue heron found in North America, but is stately nonetheless.
Black-headed heron
Before we had a chance to move on, my guide noticed a lilac-breasted roller (Coracias caudatus) perched high in a tree or large shrub. With the long, sharp thorns it might be one of the many types of acacia found in the area. The lilac-breasted roller is found throughout eastern and southern Africa. One of four roller species found in northern Tanzania, it has beautiful coloring including a lilac-colored breast. It also has long outer tail feathers. And like the one I’d seen the previous day, it had perched high, so my view was silhouetted against the sky.
Lilac-breasted roller perched among long thorns
After driving a short distance, perhaps half a mile, we found a pair of plains zebras (Equus quagga) in a traditional mutual grooming position: next to each other head-to-tail. On the back of one of them was a group of six small birds, wattled starlings (Creatophora cinerea). Although considered an omnivore, with diverse types of food, the wattled starling often perches on livestock or zebras, feeding on insects disturbed by the animals or on ectoparasites. Wattled starlings mainly live in grassland and open woodland, with a broad range in eastern and southern Africa. C. cinerea is the only species in its genus.
Wattled starlings on the back of a plains zebra
Once again, almost as soon as my guide had resumed driving, he noticed something interesting and pulled over to stop and check it out. This time he exclaimed something like “Wow!” – and this was why: he’d noticed a secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius), a somewhat rare find and surely one of the more bizarre-looking birds in the region. The secretary bird is a large terrestrial (ground-based) bird of prey endemic to Africa, generally found in open grassland south of the Sahara all the way through South Africa to the Cape. Pairs are territorial, with a typical territory size of about 19 square miles – so we were quite lucky to see one. The species is considered to be vulnerable: likely to become endangered if threatening circumstances (in this case, habitat reduction) do not improve. The diet includes insects, snakes, small mammals and birds, lizards, and bird eggs – but generally not carrion. Unusual physical characteristics include extremely long legs, black “leggings”, an array of distinctive black feathers at the back of the head, and a tail with two unusually long central feathers. There is nothing else that looks like the secretary bird, and, indeed, it is the only species in its taxonomic genus and family. The individual we saw was pretty far away in the grass and moving rather purposefully and rapidly, so I was only able to grab a few quick pictures before it was too far away. What a treat!
Secretary bird
My guide had told me that, after lunch, we would be making fewer stops, since we were beginning to run short on time. But when we saw a pair of grey crowned cranes (Balearica regulorum) he did stop. This is another unusual bird, distinct in appearance. It is found in dry savanna areas as well as wetlands in sub-Saharan Africa as far south as South Africa. Although common over some of its range, the species has been considered endangered since 2012 due to drainage, overgrazing, and pesticide pollution of its habitat. Distinguishing characteristics include the many beautiful colors of feathers on the body and wings, a stark white cheek on a grey head, a small red wattle just above the white cheek and a larger one on the throat, and the crown of stiff golden feathers. Grey crowned cranes spend the entire day foraging; as omnivores they eat plants, seeds, insects, snakes, frogs, and worms. They are one of only two species of crane that can – and do – roost in trees overnight.
Grey crowned crane
Returning toward the exit road on the inner loop we made what would be our closest approach to Lake Magadi, a soda (alkaline) lake in Ngorongoro Crater. In the GPS track image the lake is about 3 x 1.5 miles and the park road appears to pass quite close to the northern shore. However, the lake is only about 5 feet deep maximum, and I think the shoreline must expand and shrink depending on recent rainfall. The Google Earth image was obtained on January 2, 2020 while my visit was on June 27, 2019. At the time of my visit the edge of the lake seemed far away, perhaps a few hundred yards, and there wasn’t any way to drive closer. Still, with my camera zoomed all the way I was able to get some (pixelated and somewhat blurry) pictures of the lesser flamingos (Phoeniconaias minor) that my guide had promised we would see. Lesser flamingos tend to gather in large flocks of up to 100,000 individuals, regionally in several of the Great Rift Valley lakes. Their diet consists almost entirely of certain types of blue-green algae that only occur in very alkaline lakes. Most of the region’s lesser flamingos breed at Lake Natron, about 50 miles to the northeast. Lesser flamingos are classified as near threatened, in part because so much of the total population relies on a single site for breeding. If anything happens that compromises Lake Natron as a breeding site, the species could become extinct relatively quickly.
The black bills of the flamingos in this picture indicate that they are lesser flamingos. A closely related species, greater flamingo (Phoeniconaias ruber), is also found in the Ngorongoro area, but is larger and has black-tipped, mostly pink, bills. Of course the flamingos were much too far away to estimate their actual size.
In the picture there is one non-flamingo bird; I cropped the picture slightly to help center it in the foreground. I actually didn’t notice it until I had uploaded my pictures to my computer and could examine them in more detail. I’m pretty sure that it is a black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus). The black back, wings, and tail and white head and neck are characteristic of the black-winged stilt. At first I thought it might be an avocet, but the coloring is different; the bill is also different, but this individual’s bill is under water so is not visible. The black-winged stilt has an extraordinary, nearly world-wide range, according to a Wikipedia article, including much of sub-Saharan Africa, eastern South America, southern Mexico, India, and Australia. Finding the stilt in a picture was pure serendipity.
Lesser flamingos and a black-winged stilt feeding in Lake Magadi
After viewing the flamingos my guide began driving again. Within a few minutes we passed a herd of blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) grazing near the shore of the lake. There was also a Thomson’s gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii) and a female common ostrich (Struthio camelus). Compared to the male ostrich, pictured above, the female is more of a dull grey-brown color.
Common ostrich (female) and companions near Lake Magadi
The Lake Magadi sightings were our last in Ngorongoro Crater. When we reached the road intersection near the entrance (descent) road we turned left to take the Crater Ascent Road up to the crater rim and exit the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We then had a 4-hour drive back to Moshi, where my hotel was saving me a room along with my stored luggage.
As on the previous day at Tarangire National Park, I would have considered the day in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to be a success just on the basis of the bird sightings described in this post. But the animal and plant sightings were also very memorable. It was a wonderful way to finish my 2-day safari.
The next day I began a 2-day transit to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. My African adventure continued!
trailhiker 