A brown African marshbird related to the storks, which has a crest that looks like a backward projection of the head, and constructs an enormous nest.
Scopus umbretta, the only member of the family Scopidae
Example sentencesExamples
- Villagers have been known to abandon a hut because a hamerkop flew over it and shortly died afterwards.
- According to superstitions, hammerkops are bad omens, and it is considered bad luck to harm them.
- The water birds hovering around the lake include pelicans, spoonbills, Egyptian geese and hammerkops.
- They claimed that the hammerkop would make the rain stop to prevent itself from drowning.
- Their bad rap may protect hamerkops from human hunters, who out of fear have given the birds a wide berth.