The Okavango Delta was also loaded with birds of all sorts. We saw many of the same birds that we saw in Chobe but also many new ones. I decided to pick some of the larger birds here. They might be less colorful than the birds I posted from Chobe but they still have good color. I also leaned towards some of the birds that we saw in the water in the Okavango.

This is a Saddle-billed Stork. We saw at least six different kinds of storks in the Okavango. The Saddle-billed Stork is a pretty striking bird. We saw them walking in the water and in the short grass near the water. They can be as high as five feet and can have a wingspan of up to nine feet, so they are a big bird. They nest in trees. We watched them several times and they walk very slowly, giving us ample opportunity for good photos. They can catch a fish, clean off the spines, wash it, and throw it up into the air and swallow it headfirst on the way down. They also eat frogs and lizards and the like.

This is a Barred Owl. At least, that’s what I think this was called by our safari guide. We saw four or five owls on our trip including several that were out in the middle of the day. This owl is on the small side but it gave us plenty of time to take photos.

These are Wattled Cranes and a rather artistic and elegant looking duo. They are an endangered bird with only several thousand pairs left, but they have a stronghold in the Okavango. They can be up to four feet high, so another tall bird. They graze with other birds and also with animals. They eat plants, roots, seeds, insects, and frogs.

These are Black-winged Stilts. They may look small but can be about fifteen inches high. These stilts can give an excited holler like kik-kik-kik-kik-kik-kik. This is about where we usually saw them. They eat flies, beetles, dragonflies, worms, spiders, crustaceans, tadpoles, frogs, and minnows. They sometimes sleep standing on one leg.

These are Marabou Storks. Our guides indicated that they are the ugliest birds in the world. We got close-up photos of them, but perhaps it’s better to show them at a distance. They can stand five feet tall and can have a wingspan of over ten feet. They sound more like a cow than a bird. I mostly liked seeing these very large birds standing atop of small branches some seventy feet up on a large tree, like in this photo. And now I know who delivered my three young grandsons. The one on the left delivered my grandson Archer while the two on the right delivered my twin grandsons: Henry and Vincent.