Bird Album
Hamerkop
Scopus umbretta Gmelin, JF, 1789
472 gWeight
The hamerkop (Scopus umbretta), also called the umbrette, is a medium-sized water bird with brown plumage.
Busiest months: July and November · Most records: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania
Where and when it's recorded
Hamerkop has been recorded at 534 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 40 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Nairobi NPKenya1,450 records
- Entebbe Botanical GardenUganda1,422 records
- Tarangire NPTanzania789 records
More places
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Ngorongoro CraterTanzania756 records
- Lake Mburo NPUganda728 records
- Mabamba SwampUganda699 records
- Lake Nakuru NPKenya692 records
- Maasai Mara NR – Mara TriangleKenya677 records
- Kisumu WaterfrontKenya504 records
- Queen Elizabeth II NP – Kazinga Channel Boat TripUganda463 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The hamerkop (Scopus umbretta), also called the umbrette, is a medium-sized water bird with brown plumage. It is found in mainland Africa, Madagascar and Arabia, living in a wide variety of wetlands, including estuaries, lakesides, fish ponds, riverbanks, and rocky coasts. The shape of its head, with its long bill and crest at the back, gives this species its name, hamerkop being the Afrikaans word for hammerhead.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Hamerkop?
The Hamerkop weighs around 472 g.
Where does the Hamerkop live?
Its breeding range: Africa: also southwestern Arabian Peninsula. It is most often recorded in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
When is the best time to see the Hamerkop?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in July and November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Hamerkop endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Hamerkop as Least Concern.
What does the Hamerkop eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Hamerkop in?
It belongs to the family Hamerkop (Scopidae), order Pelecaniformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 472 g
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 293 mm
- Tail
- 154 mm
- Bill
- 84 mm
- Tarsus
- 66 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: also southwestern Arabian Peninsula
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
- Family
- Hamerkop Scopidae
- Genus
- Scopus
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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by samzhang. ↗
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