Kori Bustard ( Ardeotis kori, family: Otididae)

kori bustard Kruger National Park birds The Kori Bustard (Latin name Ardeotis kori) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 230 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 295 also a picture of the Kori Bustard on page 304. The Kori Bustard belongs to the family of birds classified as Otididae.

The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified.

The Kori Bustard is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident

In terms of distribution of the Kori Bustard in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Kori Bustard : see above distribution map.

The Kori Bustard.

Kruger Park Kori BustardIdentification assistance for this avian species ...

The Kori Bustard is a very large bird much much bigger than a Pied Crow and similar to a turkey. The height of the Kori Bustard is about 150 cms and its weight is about 1240 gms. The female is smaller than the male.

You will find that the male Kori Bustard plumage and colours are different to that of the female Kori Bustard

  • Head is black, grey.
  • Eye is yellow.
  • Bill is brown.
  • Throat is grey.
  • Back is grey, brown.
  • Legs are yellow.

This bird has long legs.

Main diet items for this bird ...

The Kori Bustard feeds on the ground mainly on invertebrates and smaller ground animals.

Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...

The Kori Bustard takes on more than a single mate (it is bigamous). It "puffs out" the feathers around the base of its neck and breast during displaying prior to breeding.

The nesting habit of Kori Bustard is to create the nest on the ground. The bird lays eggs which are blue in colour and number between 1 to 2

Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...

The preferred habitats for Kori Bustard are: grasslands . The Kori Bustard is also at home in wetland and bushveld areas and prefers being close to trees. Its habitat outside major game reserves has been destroyed so it is no longer common to see these large birds.

You can see Kori Bustard in small flocks walking in the grasslands of the Kruger. The bird will often also be seen singly.

Names of this avian species in other languages ...

Xhosa ... Iseme

Zulu ... umNgqithi

Afrikaans ...Gompou

German ... Riesentrappe

Portuguese ... Abetarda-gigante

French ... Outarde kori

Dutch ... Koritrap

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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...

Robert's 7th edition number ... 230

The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za