The Kori Bustard, recognized as the heaviest flying bird native to Africa, inhabits expansive grasslands, savannas, and semi-arid regions across the continent. These large terrestrial birds are opportunistic omnivores, with generalist feeding habits that allow them to thrive in diverse African ecosystems.
Diverse Dietary Preferences
Kori Bustards consume a wide array of food items. Insects form a substantial part of their diet, particularly for chicks. They frequently prey on large insects such as locusts, grasshoppers, beetles, crickets, caterpillars, termites, solifuges, scorpions, and snails.
Beyond insects, Kori Bustards hunt small vertebrates like lizards, chameleons, and small snakes. They also consume small mammals, often rodents, and are known to eat bird chicks and eggs.
Plant matter also contributes significantly to their diet, especially when animal prey is less abundant. They forage for seeds, berries, and various fruits. Leaves, flowers, and roots are consumed. Kori Bustards also eat gum from Acacia trees and wild melons, and their digestive system supports the digestion of plant material. They are also observed consuming carrion when available.
Foraging Strategies
Kori Bustards primarily forage by walking slowly and deliberately across the landscape, scanning the ground with their keen eyesight for potential food. They are most active during the first and last hours of daylight, when temperatures are milder. When they spot prey, they use a direct “strike and swallow” method for larger items.
These birds often follow herds of large grazing mammals, such as wildebeest, zebras, and antelopes, to capitalize on insects and small animals flushed out by the movement of these herds. They are also attracted to areas recently affected by bushfires, where they can find insects killed in the blaze. Kori Bustards can endure long periods without drinking water, as they obtain much of their necessary moisture directly from the food they consume. Uniquely, they drink by a sucking motion rather than scooping water with their bills.
Ecological Role
Through their diverse diet, Kori Bustards play a role in their ecosystems. As insect predators, they help control populations, including species like locusts and beetles. Their consumption of small vertebrates further integrates them into the local food web.
The Kori Bustard’s omnivorous nature and dietary flexibility allow it to adapt to varying food availability across seasons and habitats, enabling them to persist in different environments. They also exhibit a mutualistic relationship with certain bird species, such as carmine bee-eaters, which sometimes perch on the bustards’ backs to catch insects disturbed during foraging, potentially offering the bustard an early warning system for predators.