Kitoglava are unique African birds that can amaze with their external characteristics. Otherwise, whale heads are called royal herons. Interesting is the German translation of the name of the whale head - "boot-billed".
Whale heads are birds of the stork order of the whale head family of the same name. In this case, the name of the genus and species coincides with the name of the family. This is no coincidence, because whale heads are the only representatives of the family.
A distinctive feature of this bird is its large beak. This part of the body is so powerful that the whale head belongs to the order of war birds. The length of the beak reaches 30 centimeters, outwardly it looks like a shoe. Due to the impressive size of the beak, during rest, the bird puts it on its chest. A characteristic feature of whale heads is also the fact that the eyes of these birds are located in the front of the skull. This allows the whale heads to see everything in three dimensions.
Whalewhale birds live exclusively in the tropical swamps of East Africa. Among the countries in which these amazing birds are found, it is necessary to name Zaire, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Uganda.
Being mostly alone, these birds look intimidating, always holding themselves proudly, calmly and with dignity. Therefore, whale heads are called royal herons.
It is unequivocally difficult to say that the whale-head is a heron. From this species, the birds have down on the chest, a crest near the back of the head, the hind toe is longer than the others, but in the whale heads you can also see the signs of a pelican and a stork.
Kitheads feed mainly on fish. They have no equal in fishing. Their main tactic is patiently waiting for the fish to swim closer by itself, after which the whale heads abruptly grab it with their huge beak.
The dimensions of the whale head are striking in their grandeur. This species is more than a meter high and weighs up to 7 kilograms. The wingspan of the bird is more than two meters. The color of the whale heads is bluish-gray.
Unfortunately, there are not many individuals of this species left on the planet, so they are under protection.
