The hamerkop is a compulsive nest builder & will construct three to five nests per year even when it’s not breeding because not all nests will be used for breeding purposes.
A breeding pair typically build the nest together, but as many as seven individuals have been observed building one nest. They build massive nests that can be 1.5 meters(4ft 11in) across almost 2 meters(6ft 7in) deep and weigh up to 50 kg(110 Ib).a nest is usually strong enough to support the weight of a man.it is made up of thousands of sticks,twigs,reeds and grass glued together with mud.
One nest can take from 40 days to several months to build usually built in the fork of a tree next to water but occasionally also on bridges,dams,walls,houses & sometimes even on the ground.
The hamerkop will lay 3 to 9 eggs which will be incubated by both parents for 26 to 30 days.Both sexes take part in feeding the chicks but they often leave the chicks unguarded for long periods.
The chicks leave the nest after 44-50 days and will be strong flyers a few days later and they will use the nest as an overnight roosting site for about two more months.
The hamerkop is a common bird in myths and legends in a lot of African cultures, which has helped to protect it. The bushmen of the Kalahari have named it the “lightning bird” and believe that any man who tries to steal the hamerkop’s eggs will be struck by lightning. The Malagasy people of Madagascar believe one will get leprosy by destroying a hamerkop’s nest and believe the bird to be evil.
