San Francisco Zoo: Hamerkop

Here's another picture from my trip to the zoo when I was down in San Francisco visiting my dad. There were several wonderful aviaries which you could walk into and get quite close to the birds if they chose to be near the viewing area. This pair of birds captivated for quite a while, with the one on the left so lovingly preening the one on the right. It was really sweet, and I also loved how unusual these birds looked. In fact, their name translates to their shape, "Hammer Head"! :)

From Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamerkop
The Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta), also known as Hammerkop, Hammerkopf, Hammerhead, Hammerhead Stork, Umbrette, Umber Bird, Tufted Umber, or Anvilhead, is a medium-sized wading bird (56 cm long, weighing 470 g). The shape of its head with a curved bill and crest at the back is reminiscent of a hammer, hence its name. It ranges from Africa, Madagascar to Arabia, in wetlands of a wide variety, including estuaries, lakesides, fish pond, riverbanks and rocky coasts in Tanzania. The Hamerkop, which is a sedentary bird that often show local movements, is not globally threatened and is locally abundant in Africa and Madagascar.