Eupodotis senegalensis (White-bellied korhaan)

Eupodotis senegalensis (Southern white-bellied korhaan, Barrow's korhaan)

[= Eupodotis cafra]

Witpenskorhaan [Afrikaans]; iNgangalu [Zulu]; Mokagatwê [Tswana]; Senegaltrap [Dutch]; Outarde de Barrow [French]; Weißbauchtrappe [German]; Abetarda-de-barriga-branca [Portuguese]

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Deuterostomia > Chordata > Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates) > Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class: Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial vertebrates) > Tetrapoda (four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota > Reptilia (reptiles) > Romeriida > Diapsida > Archosauromorpha > Archosauria > Dinosauria (dinosaurs) > Saurischia > Theropoda (bipedal predatory dinosaurs) > Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Aves (birds) > Order: Gruiformes > Family: Otitidae


White-bellied korhaan male (foreground) and females (backround). [photo Dennis Gerrans ©]

Distribution and habitat

Near-endemic to South Africa, occurring from the Limpopo Province and adjacent provinces, south through Swaziland to KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. It generally prefers fairly tall, dense sour or mixed grassland, either open or lightly wooded, occasionally moving into cultivated or burnt land.

Distribution of White-bellied korhaan in southern Africa, based on statistical smoothing of the records from first SA Bird Atlas Project (© Animal Demography unit, University of Cape Town; smoothing by Birgit Erni and Francesca Little). Colours range from dark blue (most common) through to yellow (least common). See here for the latest distribution from the SABAP2.

Call



Recorded by Clem Hagner, [© Transvaal Museum]

Predators and parasites

Predators
- Aquila verreauxii (Verreauxs' eagle, Black eagle)

Movements and migrations

Resident and sedentary.

Food

Omnivorous, feeding on invertebrates, lizards and plant matter, doing most of its foraging by walking and pecking the ground. The following food items have been recorded in its diet:

Animals
- invertebrates
  - insects
    - Coleoptera (beetles)
    - locusts (Orthoptera)
    - caterpillars (larval stage of Lepidoptera)
    - termites
    - ants
  - spiders
  - scorpions
  - snails
- lizards
Plants
- green herbage
- grass seeds
- berries
- bulbs
- flowers

Breeding

Little known, it is probably monogamous and territorial.
The nest is a simple scrape in the ground between grass tufts.
Egg-laying season is from October-January, peaking in November.
It lays 1-2, rarely 3 eggs, which are incubated solely by the female for about 23 days.
The chicks are cared for by both parents, leaving the nest soon after hatching.

Threats

Vulnerable, as its range is contracting in KwaZulu-Natal, leaving isolated and vulnerable population pockets.

References

Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. Roberts - Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.