The thick square crest on its head gives this bird its name. Hammerkop means hammerhead in Dutch.

It is normally seen alone or as a pair.

The Hammerkop vocalizes with a series of shrill piping whistles and ‘wek-wek-wek’ calls during flight.

It builds a haystack-like stick nest nearly 2 meters across in a tree, to deter predators the entrance to the nest is at the bottom. They return to the same nest each year, making repairs if necessary.

Some cultures consider it to be magical and others consider it an evil omen, believing that it can foresee a persons’ death.