Lissotis melanogaster

This relatively big bustard with a long neck and strongly mottled back is fairly common in woodland and tall, open grassland. The male is easy to identify with its black belly extending up its neck and its distinctive black and white under wing. The female, however, is more difficult to identify, and it best separated from other bustards by its thin neck and white belly.

We first recorded the female of this species in April 2010 while visiting the Kosi Bay Forest Lodge on the north coast of KwaZulu Natal. Since then we have seen the male on a number of occasions