Lophotis ruficrista
The Red-Crested Korhaan, also known as the Red-Crested Bustard, is a common ground-dwelling bird occurring in many of South Africa’s conservation areas, inhabiting arid thornveld, savanna-bushveld and woodlands. . They are about 50cm long and weigh up to 900g. Their diet includes insects, seeds, berries and tree-gum. Males perform an acrobatic aerial display during the spring-summer breeding season, involving flying 10 – 30m straight up into the air before tumbling out of the sky as if they’ve been shot, only to glide to a safe landing at the last possible moment. The red crest from which they take their name is shown by the male only when displaying for females, and males will mate with as many hens as they can impress in this fashion. Eggs are laid in shallow hollows, usually scraped beneath bushes. Their characteristic shrill call is a feature of the areas in which they occur.
Owing to its wide distribution in Southern Africa, few pressures on its habitat and apparently stable populations, the Red-Crested Bustard is considered “Least Concern” by the IUCN. In the Republic of South Africa, this species can be commonly found in all provinces, with the exception of the Eastern and Western Cape.
DeWetsWild 
It is beautiful 🙂
Nice to see you again, Monica!
😀
Het nou eers bietjie verder rond gesnuffel maar ek glo nie ek het die een al regtig gesien nie. Watter korhaan het mens meer op die Hoëveld gekry? Kon nie regtig uitmaak nie naaste lyk soos Southern black korhaan. Dis darem maar n uitstekende reeks van groter voëls in SA. Baie mooi beskrywend en ook pragtige fotos.
Jy’s op die regte spoor, Ineke. Die volop Korhaan hier in die grasveld rondom Pretoria en Johannesburg is die Witvlerkkorhaan – Northern Black Korhaan. Ek is bly om te hoor jy geniet die voelfotos so, dankie!
A, dankie, ek het mos net buite Pta Jhb se kant toe grootgeword. Ek is mal daaroor om meer te sien en te hoor van alles in die natuur om my. My ondervindings het maar gebeur terwyl ek bokke opgepas het. Na skool moes ek hul laat wei tot dit so 5 uur melktyd was. Meestal onder rosyntjiebos gesit as dit so warm was in die somer.
Weereens, wat n wonderlike manier om groot te word! Meeste van vandag se kinders het nie n “clue” daarvan nie.
Beslis waar. Hul sien net die diere en voëls op TV of internet wat beslis nie aanloklik is soos hul SciFi goed wat hul kyk nie. Jou seun is beslis bevoorreg om ouers te hê wat so natuurgebonde is.
Dis baie gaaf van jou, dankie Ineke!
Hulle het darem stewige stembande
Dis darem maar n indrukwekkende keelgat ne!
Mooi reeks en inligting oor hierdie interessante voël,Dries!Pragtige foto’s.
Baie dankie, Dina!
Would love to see some of that acrobatic action!
Very interesting to watch, Kathy, but it always catches us by surprise and I’ve yet to get any photos of it, nevermind any good enough to post here…
I know what you mean…I am fine if the birds stop and pose a minute, but getting them in flight is hard!
Beautiful birds!
Very true, thanks Amy
‘Look, I can pretend to be shot but survive! I’d make a mate you can rely on having around for some time!’
What a way to impress the ladies!