Stinky but stylish QPAT

KING from Craighall Park writes: Friends and I were travelling along the S90 gravel road to Satara in the Kruger Park when we saw these about-to-fledge secretarybirds in a large nest in a thorn tree, all three shouting their heads off. We paused to take pictures. An adult appeared and walked towards the tree carrying a lump of dried elephant dung in its beak. The adult stopped and picked up an even bigger clump of dried grass or dung and flew up to the nest, dumping the pile on the floor. The chicks investigated the grass and dung briefly before insistently begging for food. With that, the adult started to regurgitate lunch and suddenly all hell broke loose. The scramble was so hectic that soon there was no room for the adult! It

a few twigs left the next morning. Is it a common species?

Aended up balancing serenely on the backs of two of the greedy chicks. It was an amazing thing to watch. Why did the adult bring the dung and dry grass? Was it to refurbish the nest or for some other reason?

ABird expert ULRICH OBERPRIELER says: What an interesting sighting! The reason for carrying the dry dung to the nest was indeed to line it. Secretarybirds usually line the cup of the nest with dry grass, but sometimes use mammal dung like elephant, rhino or similar. The fact that there were three youngsters in the nest is also unusual. Although secretarybirds often lay a clutch of three eggs and all of them might hatch, the smallest is usually killed by its siblings or dies as a result of not being able to compete for food.

Entomologist DUNCAN MACFADYEN says: This is the larva of the silver-striped hawk moth – an abundant species found in a wide range of natural habitats and gardens. The adult moth has a wingspan of around 75 mm. They are extremely fast fliers. The larvae have these characteristic eye spots, which might scare off predators. They like to feed on vines, arum lilies and impatiens.