Crocodile guard

Crocodile guard

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The crocodile warbler(Pluvianus aegyptius) is the only representative of its genus Pluvianus. In recent years, it has even been recognised as the only species of a new family called Pluvianidae, which belongs to the plover family. It is found in Central Africa, south of the Sahara, from Senegal to Ethiopia.

The crocodile warbler is a small bird, about 20 cm tall and can weigh up to 92 g. Its special plumage colouring makes it difficult to confuse. The head is black, the wings and tail are blue-grey while the underside of the body is mainly yellowish to orange in colour. A black stripe runs from the head down the back to the centre of the body. The crocodile watchman owes its name to the legend that it searches for food in the mouths of crocodiles and thus frees them from leftovers. However, this behaviour has not yet been scientifically confirmed.

The crocodile warbler's habitat is mainly large tropical rivers in lowland areas. There it searches for food on the sand and gravel banks. This mainly consists of worms, mussels, snails and aquatic insects. To do this, it pokes around in damp sand with its beak and legs or turns over medium-sized stones. From time to time it also catches small fish or picks at various seeds on the ground.

The crocodile warbler breeds between January and May. The females do not build a nest, but simply lay the usually 2 to 3 eggs in the sand on the river bank. The young take between 28 and 31 days to hatch. During this time, both parents regulate the brood temperature by sitting on the clutch with moistened belly feathers to cool it. The young are nest fledglings. After hatching, they start to walk on the first day and look for food on their own after 7 days. However, they remain with their parents for a further 35 days until they are ready to fledge. During this time, the parents continue to regulate the body temperature of the young and bury them under sand if danger threatens.

The population of the crocodile guardian is currently not endangered, as it has a very large distribution area and has learnt to adapt to humans. The main threat to it is the construction of new dams, which can destroy its habitat.