San Diego Wild Animal Park

A selection of images from several shoots at the Park, this page covers a fairly wide
spectrum, with several images of Hornbills, Fish Eagles, Cranes, Storks, Kori Bustard,
Lorikeets, Shoebills, various Ducks, Egrets, Cormorants, Vultures, Secretary Birds, etc.
Some birds are locals that fly in to the Park and end up staying (noted below each image).
In the past I have had a number of requests for use of SDWAP images for school reports,
so I’ve provided information on each of the birds that may help if you’re writing a report.

This page contains 100 large images (typically 1350-1500 pixels for landscape images,
and 1100-1200 pixels for portrait images), along with some special, larger images.
Larger images (and composites) are designated M or LG and sizes are indicated.
These images have been provided in Portfolio sizes (and larger) because I intend
them to be directly printable for people who want to use them for school projects.

These images are not available for commercial uses (Personal Use Only).

You are welcome to print any of the images on this page for personal use
or use in a school project, or use an image in an electronic report (PDF).
Signatures or copyright marks must be maintained, and you should put
an image credit (reference this website) in the bibliography appendix.

click an image to open a larger version
Use your back button to return to this page.

Composites and LG images will open in a second window.

Abyssinian Ground Hornbill 3879

With a fossil record going back to the Miocene 15 million years ago, the Ground Hornbill is the
earliest surviving offshoot from the post-dinosaur ancestor that led to the Hornbill Family, and has
recently been recognized as forming its own family, the Bucorvidae, to separate it from the other
Hornbills (Bucerotidae). Differing from the other Hornbills in that they have an extra neck vertebra,
they don’t live in trees, they have no carotid artery (unique among birds), and they do not wall off
the female in a nest cavity, the two Ground Hornbills represent one of the earliest surviving birds.

Abyssinian Ground Hornbill HS1485

The Abyssinian or Northern Ground Hornbill
lives in Northern Africa. They differ from the
Southern Ground Hornbill by the larger casque
on the top of the bill (a structural reinforcement).

They eat fruit, insects, and small animals such
as lizards and tortoises, and some carrion.
They generally form monogamous pairs.

Abyssinian Ground Hornbill HS1538

The blue wattles makes this a female. Males
(top and left) have a blue eye wattle and a red
and blue throat. Hornbills can’t swallow food at
the tip of the bill (their tongue is too short), so they
throw and catch it like some Egrets and Herons.

Abyssinian Ground Hornbills HS1515

Two females compete for dominance.

African Fish Eagle HS6463

The African Fish Eagle is a large Sea Eagle, similar to the Madagascar Fish Eagle but with a
white head (rather than the tan head of the Madagascar). The females have a wingspan of over 8 ft.
(males: ~6 ft.). They are sub-Saharan and range over much of the African continent. They primarily
hunt near the mouth of rivers or near freshwater lakes and rivers, and eat on a perch unless the fish is
too heavy, in which case it will fly to the shore and eat there. Sometimes they catch a fish that is too
heavy to fly with, and they either drag it across the surface, or if it is too heavy to drag they paddle
to shore using their wings. They also eat waterfowl, small turtles, baby crocodiles, and carrion.

African Fish Eagles mate for life, and build more than one (very large) nest which is reused.

African Fish Eagle HS6455-68 M Signed

(1480 x 1200)

African Fish Eagle HS6374 LG signed

(1265 x 1898)

African Open-billed Stork X8640

This chocolate brown stork is primarily aquatic and feeds mostly on snails and freshwater mussels.
They extract mussels from the intact shells with the sharp lower bill by slicing off the mussel’s muscle
attachment while the upper bill holds the shell. They often follow hippos (sometimes riding their backs)
as the hippos churn up the mud where the snails and mussels live, exposing the prey for the storks.

Storks are related to Condors and other New World Vultures and share their soaring abilities.

Black Stork HS3231

All black except for the white belly and armpits,
and the red legs, eye ring and bill, the Black Stork
eats fish, amphibians and insects. Solitary and shy
except during the breeding season, they live in
marshy wetlands or near rivers, and breed in
mountain woodlands, nesting high in trees.

Black Stork HS3226

They have a slow, purposeful stride on the ground.

African Crowned Crane X8118

This is the Black Crowned Crane, a close
relative of the Grey Crowned Cranes shown
in the other two images. These two are the only
cranes that can roost in trees due to their long
hind toes allowing them to grasp branches.

African Crowned Crane X1370

The Crowned Cranes eat insects, reptiles
and small mammals on the savanna and nest
in wetter habitats. This and the next image are
of Grey Crowned Cranes. Both types have the
gold crown feathers (differing in plumage color).

African Crowned Crane HS1174 LG signed

(1525 x 1906)

Anhinga X6102 LG signed

(1394 x 1743)

Known as the Snakebird, the African Darter is
similar to American and other Anhingas, differing
in appearance by the white neck stripe. Anhingas
are fish eaters, and often swim with only the head
exposed. They look like a snake when they swim,
thus the name “Devil Bird” or “Snake Bird”.

Anhinga X6137

The African Darter is a sub-Saharan bird that
often nests with Herons, Egrets and Cormorants.
Like Cormorants, they must dry their wings, and
often stand with their wings spread to dry them.
They prefer hunting in warm, shallow water.

Near the bottom of this page, you can
see a Cormorant drying it’s wings.

Bald Eagle HS1858 LG signed

This difficult shot was taken near dusk in the dark habitat the Eagle is kept in near the Condor exhibit.
It was shot through a mesh screen, so I shot the lens wide open (f/2) to completely defocus the screen.
Because of the wide aperture, the feet would have been defocused so I framed close to cut them off.

The Bald Eagle is not actually Bald (the name derives from the Piebald, or white, head). The national
bird of the United States, the Bald Eagle is a fish-eating bird that hunts by swooping down on a fish
and grabbing it with its large talons. This is an adult bird... the yearlings are all brown with mottled
feathers and a brown head. The juveniles between two and four years retain some white mottling
until they reach sexual maturity in their fourth or fifth year, but the head is white after the first year.

The Bald Eagle builds the largest nests of any bird in North America (see images of nesting eagle).
More Eagles on the Bosque Raptors page, Alaskan Birds page, and the Raptors and Flight Studies.

Black-Crowned Night Heron HS3718

(1446 x 1446)

The Black-Crowned Night Herons are local birds that fly in to the Park and like it,
preferring to stay here. As they are one of my favorite birds, I have included a number of
large portfolio-grade images here for your personal use. The BCN Heron stands at the edge
of the water like the one above and ambushes fish, crustaceans, frogs and small mammals.

They do quite a bit of their hunting at night, thus their name.

Black-Crowned Night Heron X8281

BCN Heron X8412 signed

Black-Crowned Night Heron HS0840

Black-Crowned Night Heron X8443

Black-Crowned Night Heron X1443 LG signed

(1282 x 1930)

Black-Crowned Night Heron HS0690, HS1825 signed

Burrowing Owl X5905 LG signed

(1282 x 1930)

Another image shot through a mesh barrier (this makes a shot difficult to present clearly).

Burrowing Owls are small, long-legged owls that live in burrows similar to those made by prairie dogs.
They are found in grasslands, farms and deserts in North and South America, and unlike other owls
are active during the day, although most hunting is still done from dusk to dawn like other owls.
When alarmed, they give off a hissing call like that of a rattlesnake, scaring off predators.

They eat large insects and small rodents for the most part, along with lizards and frogs.
They also eat fruit and seeds, esp. prickly pear and cholla cactus, and sometimes small birds.
They sometimes will chase small prey on the ground, and are really comical to watch when running.

California Condor HS1879

The San Diego Wild Animal Park has been instrumental in the recovery of the California Condor
as a species. One of the world’s longest-living birds (up to 50 years), the Condors were near extinction
due to habitat destruction, poaching, and lead poisoning, and a conservation plan was instituted (1987)
where the remaining 22 Condors were captured and bred at the LA Zoo and SDWAP. The numbers
rose due to the captive breeding program, and in 1991 they started reintroducing them into the wild.
Now, there are 332 living California Condors, and 156 of these have been released into the wild.

Unlike the the Andean Condor which will kill small animals, the California Condor is a true scavenger.
A New World Vulture, it is the largest North American land bird (it’s smaller than the Andean Condor).
Its head is bald to help it stay sterile, as it dips its head into the body of carrion. The UV light at high
altitudes along with dehydration sterilizes the head and neck. Skin color varies from yellowish to
a bright reddish orange depending on age of the bird and state of agitation. Their skin flushes
when they are in an emotional state, and this is used for communication between individuals.

Condors are capable of soaring for miles, riding thermal currents and rarely flapping their wings.
They have been known to fly as fast as 55 mph and as high as 15,000 feet. They roost on high
perches where they can take off with minimal flapping. They bathe frequently and spend hours
each day preening their feathers. They prefer to feed on carrion of large animals, like deer,
goats, sheep, mountain lions, donkeys and horses, pigs, bears and cattle. Occasionally,
they feed on smaller animals such as coyote and rabbits or aquatic mammals and fish.
They often go for days or weeks without eating, then eat so much that they can’t fly.

These images are also shot through a mesh barrier.
For those interested in technique, to avoid the mesh intruding on the
image, I selected a large aperture even though shutter speeds were high.
(1879-81 were 1/8000 @ f/2; 1895: 1/3000 @ f/4; composite: 1/1250 @ f/5.6)
I could work with a smaller aperture when the condor was farther from the screen.

California Condor HS1881

They look like Uncle Fester (Addam’s Family).

California Condor HS1895

Notice the heavy beak and naked head and neck.

California Condor HS1880 LG signed

(1836 x 1469)

California Condor HS1908, HS1919 M signed

(1556 x 1109)

Demoiselle Crane HS3746

The smallest and second most abundant
crane species (behind the Sandhill Crane),
the Demoiselle Crane is one of only two cranes
that don’t have bare red skin on their heads. They
live mostly in dry grasslands near bodies of water.
They eat plants, insects, grains and small animals.
They have the most difficult migration of any bird.

Demoiselle Crane X1474

They summer and breed in Central Asia and
migrate across the Himalayas to South Asia and
Africa to spend the winter. Many die of exhaustion
from the difficult flight over the Himalayas.

Demoiselle Crane X8218

Eagle Owl HS5971

Sometimes, keepers bring out a bird to visit the
public, such as this Eagle Owl or the Fish Eagle.
Eagle Owls are among the most powerful owls and
live in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia.

Eagle Owl HS5966

The Great Horned Owl is an Eagle Owl, and
there are about 24 other species. They prey on
rabbits, rodents, and large game birds, but they
have also taken small deer and other animals.

Flamingo HS1588 signed

The Greater Flamingo filter-feeds on brine shrimp by using their oddly shaped beaks (upside down)
to separate mud and silt from their food. They often stand on one foot, but sometimes stamp their feet
to stir up the mud and dislodge prey. Their pink color is caused by the Beta Carotene in their diet.

Flamingo X8294 LG signed

(1424 x 1780)

Flamingos have the largest neck and legs in comparison to their body size of any bird.

Flamingo Mating Ritual HS3621-27 M signed

(1810 x 948)

Flamingoes clack their bills to signal their readiness to mate and the male taps the females bill.
Note the jealous voyeur watching the mating pair. This male was ignored by the female.

Great Egret Portrait HS0888 signed

The Great Egret is a local fly-in, and is another
of my favorite birds. As I have detailed studies
of the Great Egret on many other pages, here I
have provided a few portraits and a composite
showing the mating plumage of this large bird.

Great Egret HS0705

Great Egret Portrait X8426 signed

Great Egret Mating Plumage HS0455, HS0472

Great Egret with Prey HS6195

This is an odd image that I typically wouldn’t post, but because of its very unusual character
I thought it would be of interest. Great Egrets normally feed on fish, frogs and insects in shallow
water, but here one has captured something that neither I nor anyone else has been able to identify.
I even asked a keeper if she knew what this was, and she was stumped. Probably an extraterrestrial.

Hammerkop X8657 LG signed

(1939 x 1293)

The Hammerkop (Hammer Head in Dutch) is a small bird that resembles storks and herons,
but is related to neither (it’s a distinct species in a different family). It mostly eats frogs and tadpoles,
but will also eat fish, insects and crustaceans. It lives in wetland areas of sub-Saharan Africa, SoWest
coastal Arabia, and Madagascar. They create enormous nests, often using over 10,000 sticks to create
a nest that will support a man’s weight, and decorate them with brightly colored objects that they find.
They build nests compulsively, 3-5 per year, breeding or not. Sometimes Eagle Owls snatch them.

They also have an interesting habit of gathering in groups of 10 or more birds, then run around each
other, screeching, raising their crests, flapping their wings, and sometimes standing on one another.

Harris Hawk HS1986

Another set of shots taken through a mesh barrier, this time you can see what happens when you
can’t get close to the screen. Although I used a wide aperture, the screen intrudes on the images.
These shots were all taken at different times, with different cameras and lenses. The shot above
was taken with a 135mm at f/2.8 in rather marginal light late in the day. The one below was shot
in superb light at 200mm, f/4. The composite below that was taken with a 300mm at f/4 while
the bird was quite active. I am supplying the best of these shots in a large size to allow
you to make a large detailed print if you like (for Personal Use only, of course).

Harris Hawk 3502 LG signed

(1400 x 2100)

A popular bird with Falconers, the Harris Hawk is primarily found in the Southwestern USA, south to
Chile and central Argentina, but some have been reported at large in Europe and Britain (most likely
escapees from falconers). They live in sparse woodland areas and semi-deserts, and eat birds, lizards
small mammals and large insects. They also hunt in groups, and then take rabbits or other larger prey.

Harris Hawk 4723, 4724 M signed

(1555 x 1350)

Hooded Vulture HS0659

The Hooded Vulture is an Old World Vulture
and is a relative of Eagles, Kites and Hawks.
They typically inhabit wetter climates and forests.

Hooded Vulture HS3873

A relatively small vulture, they cannot
compete with their larger relatives so they
tend to stay on the fringes, grabbing leftovers.

Hooded Vulture X1616

These images were taken on different
visits at different times of day. I like this guy.

Hooded Vulture X1616c

Here is a tighter portrait crop from
the master image of the previous shot.

Kori Bustard HS0899

Possibly the heaviest bird capable of flight,
the Kori Bustard spends most of its time on the
ground foraging for seeds and lizards. Their weight
ranges from 25-45 lbs. An unverified report exists
of a 75 lb. Kori Bustard, but this is highly unlikely.

Kori Bustard X8259

Native to Africa, the Kori Bustard lives in
arid, open grasslands and savannas. They are
polygnous, breeding with several females at once.

Kori Bustard HS0889

They also eat insects (esp. when they are young)
as well as small mammals, snakes, seeds, and
berries. They have been observed eating carrion.

Kori Bustard HS3511

Kori Bustards are declining in the wild due to
agricultural development, slow reproductive rate,
a lack of tolerance of human activity, and hunting.

Kori Bustard X8259c

A world-wide program has been instituted to study the Kori Bustard, help them to
breed in zoos and wildlife parks, and determining ways to help them survive in the wild.

This image is a crop from the master image (see the 2nd image, above).

Lorikeet HS6590

Lorikeets are popular, brightly colored small arboreal parrots from Australia, Southeast Asia,
 New Guinea and Polynesia. They have brush-tipped tongues specially adapted for feeding on
nectar and soft fruits. They are hyperactive little clowns and are kept in a large aviary at SDWAP
where people can directly interact with them as well as feeding them nectar from little cups.

Lorikeet feeding HS7321

Lorikeet feeding HS7332

Of course, you can get sprayed with nectar...

Lorikeet HS6664

They are unbelievably cute little guys with tons of character, and they are one of the
major attractions at the park, especially among children, who are fascinated to get close to birds.
These images are of several Rainbow Lorikeets. The one above is a Green-Naped (a subspecies).

Lorikeet HS6616

Red-Collared Lorikeet (another subspecies).

Lorikeet X5780

Cute, aren’t they?

Lorikeets HS6660

Lorikeet X5782, X5787 M signed

(1500 x 1190)

Lorikeet X5782, X5787 LG signed

(2643 x 2029, 648kb)

An even larger version, capable of gallery-grade matte prints up to 14” x 11”.
This will also yield a cover-grade glossy print at 8.5” x 11”.

Marabou Stork X8271

Uncontested for the title of the least attractive bird
in Africa, the Marabou is a scavenger and pirate
that accompanies vultures at carrion and also
scrounges at rubbish dumps near settlements.
The throat sack is a cooling device and is also
used to display mating readiness and status.

They have the largest wingspan of any
land bird (along with the Andean Condor).

Yellow-Billed Stork HS3481

Yellow-Billed Storks forage in shallow
water for fish and frogs. They stir the water
with one foot to dislodge prey. They have very
quick neck reflexes and snap up anything moving
in the water with very impressive speed.

Saddle-Billed Stork 2996 LG

(1014 x 1521)

The tallest and IMO most attractive of the Storks is the Saddle-Billed Stork. They eat
small fish, crabs, frogs and water-beetles, and also snatch fish from Cormorants and other birds.
They live in sub-Saharan Africa. They live in marshes and wetlands, typically alone or in pairs.

Red-Crested Pochard HS2385 signed

Part of the zoo population, this is a large, distinctive duck native to southern Europe and Asia.
They migrate to North Africa for the winter. They eat aquatic plants like many dabbling ducks.

Red-Crested Pochard HS2356, HS2453 M signed

(1525 x 1125)

Secretary Bird HS6204c, HS6235c M signed

(1505 x 1200)

Cropped, larger close-ups from two of the images shown in the composite below.

The Secretary Bird is a large, mostly terrestrial bird of prey native to African grasslands.
Its name derives from the quill-like feathers behind the head which give it the look of a secretary
with quill pens behind her ears (as was common 200 years ago). It has a body like an eagle or hawk
and legs like a crane. They hunt prey on foot (the only other bird that does this is the Caracara). They
eat snakes, insects, small mammals, lizards, small birds and eggs, and sometimes hunt gazelles.
They also are attracted to brush fires, where they prey on animals that didn’t escape the fire.

The Secretary Bird has been known to eat the occasional golf ball (probably thinking it was an egg).

Secretary Bird HS6204, HS6212, HS6235 M signed

(1432 x 1200)

Shelducks X8167

Part of the park’s collection rather than a fly-in, the Shelduck is a fairly unusual, pied duck
that eats small shore animals (such as crabs) along with the typical water plants and grasses.
Those shown above are Common Shelducks, which are native to Europe and Asia.

Shoebill HS6006

The 5 ft. tall Shoebill is a swamp-living bird that
is native to Tropical Africa, with an enormous
9” long, 4” wide beak which it uses to scoop up
fish, mollusks, reptiles and carrion from the mud.

Shoebill HS6033

Known to ancient Egyptians and Arabs, it was
discovered by Westerners in the late 19th C.
Long thought to be a relative of Storks, it is
now considered closer to Pelicans or Herons.

Shoebill X8625

They have recently been successfully
bred in captivity (2008 in Belgium).

Shoebill X8625c signed

A tighter portrait crop from
the master of the previous image.

Shoebill X5940, HS3356 M signed

(1546 x 1140)

Southern Bald Ibis X1542

A wading bird that uses its long, thin bill to probe
 in dirt or mud for insects, worms, and crustaceans.

Southern Bald Ibis X8645

Turkey Vulture HS3565

This is a local native that flew over the park to see if he could find a tired tourist...

Seriously, the Turkey Vulture is a scavenger that feeds mostly on carrion. Someone would have found
that tourist before they became a candidate for this fellow. On the other hand, SDWAP is a big place.

Wattled Plover X8676 LG signed

(1826 x 1461)

This bird has a number of names, including White-Headed Plover and White-Headed Lapwing.
Despite the typical name used, this really is a Lapwing, resident throughout tropical Africa near rivers.
It is a wader, with a white crown, grey face, black and white wings and tail, and yellow wattles.

Believe me, you can’t miss it.   :^)

Wattled Plover LG signed

(2260 x 1225)

Wattled Crane HS1766 signed

The Wattled Crane stands six feet tall and has distinctive, feathered wattles hanging down
below the throat. The skin in front of the eye and above the wattles is bare and red, and is
covered with small wart-like bumps. They live in sub-Saharan Africa (over half in Zambia).
Wattled Cranes eat aquatic vegetation and sedge grass, grains, grass seed and insects.

Wattled Crane HS1740, HS1751 LG signed

(1989 x 1200)

Wattled Crane 4950 M signed

(1050 x 1675)

Western Ruppell’s Vulture HS0445 signed

The Ruppell’s is a Griffon vulture that ranges over much of central Africa. They are social
birds that roost, nest, and feed in large flocks, often in the Serengeti, where they feed on the
enormous number of wildebeest that die off every year (there are over a million wildebeest in
the Serengeti, and they live about 10 years, so 100,000 die naturally every year). The Ruppell’s
has the current record for avian high-flying: an aircraft hit one over the Ivory Coast at 37,000 feet.

Western Ruppell’s Vulture 3560 LG signed

(1400 x 2100)

Western Ruppell’s Vulture X8464, X8466 M

(1550 x 1186)

Western Ruppell’s Vulture HS0440, HS6333 M signed

(1525 x 1182)

White-Cheeked Pintails X5763

Part of the park’s collection, the White-Cheeked Pintail is a dabbling duck native to the Carribean,
South America, and the Galapagos Islands. They prefer ponds, lakes, estuaries and mangrove
swamps with brackish water, and feed on aquatic plants, small invertebrates and seeds.

White-Cheeked Pintail X5767 LG signed

(1863 x 1118)

White-Cheeked Pintail X5761 LG signed

(2144 x 1500)

White-Faced Whistling Duck X5772

This distinctive whistling duck is native to much of sub-Saharan Africa and South America.
It lives in freshwater lakes and reservoirs, feeding on crustaceans, seeds and plant material.

They have a piercing, three-note whistling call.

White-Faced Whistling Ducks X5951

White-Necked Cormorant X5866c

The White-Necked or White-Breasted Cormorant
is a subspecies of the Great Cormorant, and is the
only Great Cormorant found in sub-Saharan Africa.

White-Necked Cormorant X5883 signed

White-Necked Cormorant HS3347, X5861

The bird on the left is drying its wings. Like the Darters (Anhingas), they must dry their
wings before taking off or they have to gain speed for takeoff by running across the water.

White-Necked Cormorant Nesting X5873

White-Necked Cormorant X5883c

A tight crop from the master of the 2nd image shown above.

Pink-Backed Pelican HS1646 signed

I’ll conclude this page with some large images of Pink-Backed Pelicans.
These pelicans are resident in Africa, southern Arabia and Madagascar in lakes and swamps.

Pink-Backed Pelican HS1647 LG signed

(1800 x 1200)

Whoops! Dropped his feather...

Pink-Backed Pelican X1518 LG signed

(2144 x 1424)

Shot on a different day (overcast and rather dark), this image
allows examination of back detail and offers a nice reflection as well.