Appearance:

Heaviest bird in area. Stocky with well developed chest. Male 50% larger than female. Mostly unmistakable, and differs from all other bustards in area in all plumages by pale, grey head (yellowish grey in female), clearly paler than the rufous upperparts and lower neck. Male with thick neck, rufous chest and long moustache feathers. Female with more slender neck and duller colours. In flight the big white wing-patch is conspicuous. Base of hand pale with smooth transition to dark tips. Secondaries black. When displaying the male raises wings and body feathers to a "foam-bath" posture with head held low, like a white ball of feathers. Flight heavy but majestic. Shy and alert bird.

Sound:

Mostly silent, especially away from breeding ground. Display call a short deep, hollow thud "omp", using resonating gular pouch. Most heard is a nasal grunt used in various types of excitement. Sometimes given in a flatulent series.

Excitement call:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

CC-photo:cruzperezmanuel, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Viskens Michel, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Paul Dirksen, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Sergey Yeliseev, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Cora de Groot en Ruud Versijde, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Largest sawbill. Male: white to pinkish white plumage with black back and dark green head. Female with grey body and brown head. Sharp division between brown head and whitish breast, together with contrasting white chin, distinguishes it from female Red-breasted Merganser. Both sexes with hook at tip of bill, dense crest and swollen base of bill. Wing-bars all white. Flight silhouette more diver-like than duck-like.

Sound:

Male: Mostly heard when courting. A twanging, disyllabic "whip-ooooo", first syllable ascending and second whistle-like and rapidly falling. Female: A coarse "ahrrr ahrrrr", or a raspy drawn "ah-ahrrrrrr ah-ahrrrrr", slightly rising, then falling in pitch. Also various cackling sounds.

Display-call male:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Sounds:Recorded by Paul Driver,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license