male Denham’s Bustard

The Denham’s Bustard (Neotis denhami) or Stanley’s Bustard is a large bird occurring almost throughout sub-Saharan Africa. I have seen this imposing species in the Pendjari National Park, Benin, during a visit in February 2012. As visible on the photograph, males inflate their throat when displaying thereby appearing much larger. The Denham’s Bustard lives a solitary life and can be found mostly on grasslands where it feeds on a large variety of small animals (e.g., insects, small snakes, bird nestlings) as well as different plants.

female Denham’s Bustard