From Opus

Photo by rudydbn
Botannical Gardens, Durban, September 2004

Platalea alba

[edit] Identification

Length 75-90 cm, mass 1.45-1.89 kg.
Breeding Adult:

• Bill is spoon-shaped and blue-grey above, with a red edge
• Facial skin is red grading to yellow on the chin and throat
• Plumage is white
• Eyes are pale blue
• Legs and feet are red.

[edit] Distribution

Sub-Saharan Africa
Western Africa: Mauritania, Senegambia, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Angola
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi
Southern Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Swaziland
African Islands: Madagascar

Photo by rudydbn
Botannical Gardens, Durban, June 2005

[edit] Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

[edit] Habitat

Lakes, floodplains and estuaries

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Diet

The diet includes various fish, frogs and other water creatures.

[edit] Breeding

A platform nest is built from sticks or reeds and lined with leaves. It is usually in tree near water, but may be on the ground among rocks, or on a cliff. The clutch consists of three to five spotted red, brown or blue eggs which is incubated by both parents for 21-29 days. The young fledge after 20-30 days.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
2. Avibase
3. Avibase
4. Honolulu Zoo

• List of references

[edit] External Links