Openbill stork wet with water, amonst golden sunlight on the Zambezi. Zambezi River, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Africa.

The black heron (Egretta ardesiaca) also known as the black egret, is an African heron. It is well known for its habit of using its wings to form a canopy when fishing.The black heron is a medium-sized (42.5–66 cm in height), black-plumaged heron with black bill, lores, legs and yellow feet. In breeding plumage it grows long plumes on the crown and nape. The black heron occurs patchily through Sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal and Sudan to South Africa, but is found mainly on the eastern half of the continent and in Madagascar. It has also been observed in Greece. and Italy. It prefers shallow open waters, such as the edges of freshwater lakes and ponds. It may also be found in marshes, river edges, rice fields, and seasonally flooded grasslands. In coastal areas, it may be found feeding along tidal rivers and creeks, in alkaline lakes, and tidal flats. The black heron uses a hunting method called canopy feeding—it uses its wings like an umbrella, creating shade that attracts fish. This technique was well documented on episode 5 of the BBC's The Life of Birds. Some have been observed feeding in solitary, while others feed in groups of up to 50 individuals, 200 being the highest number reported. The black heron feeds by day but especially prefers the time around sunset. It roosts communally at night, and coastal flocks roost at high tide. The primary food of the black heron is small fish, but it will also eat aquatic insects, crustaceans and amphibians. The nest of the black heron is constructed of twigs placed over water in trees, bushes, and reed beds, forming a solid structure. The heron nests at the beginning of the rainy season, in single or mixed-species colonies that may number in the hundreds. The eggs are dark blue and the clutch is two to four eggs. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_heron

The Zambezi River (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. The area of its basin is 1,390,000 square kilometres, slightly less than half of the Nile's. The 2,574-kilometre-long river arises in Zambia and flows through eastern Angola, along the north-eastern border of Namibia and the northern border of Botswana, then along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe to Mozambique, where it crosses the country to empty into the Indian Ocean. The Zambezi's most noted feature is Victoria Falls. Other notable falls include the Chavuma Falls at the border between Zambia and Angola, and Ngonye Falls, near Sioma in Western Zambia. There are two main sources of hydroelectric power on the river, the Kariba Dam, which provides power to Zambia and Zimbabwe, and the Cahora Bassa Dam in Mozambique, which provides power to Mozambique and South Africa. There are additional two smaller power stations along the Zambezi River in Zambia, one at Victoria Falls and the other one near Kalene Hill

Taken in: Zambia / Southern Province / Sankaia (show map)

Taken on: July 19, 2019

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“Canon 80D”

“Tamron 16-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD B016”

“African openbill”

stork « less

Sets appears in: • Animals & Birds • Natural textures and colours more » • Sigma, 150-600 mm f5-6.3 lens • Sunrise, sunset and the waterside • Victoria Falls & Zambezi River • Water « less

Groups appears in: • FlickrCentral • Wildlife Photography more » • African Safari • Birds Photos - Check out the new discussions! • Birding In The Wild • Birds birds birds birds! « less

Camera: Canon EOS 80D, f/6.3, 1/100 sec, 558mm, ISO 1250 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 80D
Lens:	150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM \| Sports 014
Aperture:	f/6.3
Exposure Time:	0.01 sec (1/100)
Focal Length:	558mm
ISO:	1250
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop 21.0 (Macintosh)
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