The big brave male
Apart from having to live with that name, they do have a tough life, particularly the chicks.
About 6 months ago a pair of Cape Dikkops invaded our lawn, our space was gone, when ever we walked out to the Vlei to enjoy the environment we were accosted by a pair of snarling Dikkops, come on guys (the birds), we love birds and even miserly feed you, get a life!!!
The Cape Dikkop (Burhinus capensis) hides during the daylight in the garden and is nocturnal with a loud melancholy and ghostly whistling call at especially at full moon. It eats small crustacea, molluscs and certain grass seeds.
After about 6 weeks there were 2 eggs just on the ground no nest, they were about the size of chickens eggs and a motley speckled brown colour. Very well camouflaged, in our garden.
Well now these birds were doubly aggressive.
In due course the eggs hatched and we now had 2 chicks as well, running around with their patents, after about 7 days the chicks just disappeared, we don’t know where or how, maybe they had grown up enough and had moved on.
Eggs in the nest
After about a month or 2 suddenly there we are two more eggs, boy were we going to check this lot, the incubation period is about 24 days with both parents sitting on the nest alternately.
On schedule early in the morning there was a chick walking around with its parents, the other egg had not hatched yet, so out came the binoculars, and we watched, within the hour we saw the other egg hatch and the other chick emerge, within 30 seconds it had struggled to its feet and waddled off after its parents and brother /sister, it was unbelievable.
Dalton gave us the technical name for this birth life style, it is the same as antelopes, drop out and run, otherwise something will catch you and eat you.
Again after about 7 days the chicks had just disappeared again, although Gill Groenhof had found one of the chicks in her drive way the previous day, brought it back and united it with its parents.
We still think something eat the chicks, mongoose, otter, meer cat, fish eagles or other birds of prey, never did find any carcass or feathers.
The Dikkops are still with us, go off for a day or two and then come back, hopefully will breed again in the new season.
As you all may know we have had a bit of success with raising abandoned birds, notably “Survivor” the purple gallinule (oh sorry, marsh hen) who was around for about 2 years and “Klaas” the Klaas cuckoo, who was around for about 6 months.
The release is always traumatic, will they be able to find food? Additionally in our case they did not understand enemies, humans, dogs, and cats in our house are all friendly; although our animals are trained, out in the real world any pet is a potential assassin to these hand eared birds.
What we have always talked about was release to the “World of Birds” or any of the other holiday farms with the correct facilities, which we will do next time.
article and photos by
Ron & Anna Keytel
Guarding the nest
Two chicks with mom
Me and Mom
I am having a similar experience with a Dikkop pair. It invaded my garden in spite of 3 cats. The cats are now restricted to half of the garden. The eggs hatched a couple of days ago, but one chick did not make it. The other chick is now 3 days old. Yes, the mother and father is now extremely aggressive around the chick. The cats have one quarter of the garden left! I hope the little chick survives. I live in Brackenfell, Western Cape.
Hi Sandra, it is quite depressing, just lost out 3rd batch of 2 chicks, the parents are still around, but my wife wants to chase them away so that she does not go through that trauma every couple of weeks (we wont do this).
Feeding “Roberts” says food, insects, small crustacea, mollusks, and certain grass seeds.
if they survive to self feeding stage, I would consider giving to World of Birds.
I subscribe to Birdnet, and this is a common problem, and Dikkops are getting scarcer.
Ron K (keytel@iafrica.com, 0127054333)
We found a baby dikkop in our horses field on our smallholding in Blanco, George on Sunday. We looked everywhere and listened out but could find no trace of the parents. At the time we were not sure what type of bird it was and assumed that perhaps it had fallen out of a nest in one of the bluegum trees. I’m tube feeding it and giving it worms. I saw a dikkop on the road up to our farm and I took the baby there to see if it would come to it but the adult dikkop flew off and did not come to check out the baby. I only found out afterwards that I should have left it alone as apparently the parents leave the young on their own and feed further away from it to distract any attention away from it. Can anyone please give me advice on hand rearing little “Didi” the dikkop? Also advice on re-introducing it to “the wild”? It is very weak in the mornings so I’ll be setting my alarm clock for 2am to heat up the hot water bottle and feed it. Hopefully it will make a difference.
What was the outcome with Didi? I am looking for help too.
Hallo Brigette,
feed the baby earth worms, krickets & you can get wonder wurms or “meel wurms” at any good petshop. Ask for live insects. Keep the warm waterbottle up, cover him with alight blankie or towel. He will soon get stronger and start eating and pecking at the insects without you having to immobalise them. We have a similair situation and thelittle thing is growing strong very quickly. All the best.
Rozana 0833570158
The dikkop birds in my garden does not have much success. The latest two chicks hatched this morning. Temperature was about 33 degreec Celcius today. What I do not understand is how immobile these chicks actually are. Or they may have a problem with their leg development with this pair of Dikkoppe.
I was contemplating trying to feed the weakest chic, but decided not to do it. I have no idea how to do it and the Internet does not have much on Dikkop birds. Actually its a shame tha there is so little information on a South African bird out there.
I checked this evening and the weakest one is even weaker, it will probably not make it. This makes me very sad. I hope the stronger one makes it. Otherwise the poor two birds will have to attempt their fourth breeding effort in one season.
Anyone with more information on these birds, please help.
i am so relieved to find this site, this morning i found a “dikkop” nearly drowned in my pool. I rescued it only to be shouted and screamed at by the snarling little terror!!! I let it rest and dry in a dark warm box till it perked up and let it out in the garden to more snarling!!!! now it sat in the sun to dry and then promptly hopped back into the pool…dikkop???? it cant get out so now i have to build a ramp and hope it is happy living in my garden, thank you for the information and i am thankful i identified it in my old unused bird book!!! jeni oranjezicht cape town
Hi there Dikkop community, we are in the heart of Sandton, Morningside but have a vacant 5 acre stand next to us which has become overgrown. A pair of Dikkops are nesting in a very private spot which is unlikely to be disturbed by humans or cats, though rats could be a problem. Photography with a long lens from our apartment will be easy and non-intrusive. We will keep you posted on this blog. Cheers, Keith.
I have some success with raising birds and took in 2 dikkop chicks 3 weeks ago which had been rescued from stone throwing children. One was badly injured and died, the other is still with me. I keep it in my bird room, a space devoted to birds that need to be made to stay put but which need freedom to exercise. It is extremely wild and I have been gently opening it’s beak and giving it several little ‘slugs’ of food about 3 – 4 times per day. (I know they are nocturnal, but I am not!) We rattle along quite well but it is getting more and more furious with me and I shall probably release it in a day or two – it is now definitely a teenager and should do well on my friend’s farm where there are other dikkops. I have a large basin of water in the bird room, plenty of straw and food is a mixture I have been using successfully for years to raise egret and ibis, also swifts, swallows, that sort of thing: 1 whole hard boiled egg (shells ground up separately in mortar and pestle if the birds are young and very tiny, very fine. As they get older one can simply put the whole lot in food processor. I feel the eggshells simulate insect shells and also provide calcium) about 500gr mince, 1 small carrot grated finely, about half a cup of good quality dog food thoroughly soaked first. All in food processor or mix by hand. Don’t over feed. Don’t expect them to be grateful.
Hi Carolyn, just lost my 4th breeding but the parents have moved off now, which is maybe good, for our human trauma.
I would be interested to hear how you went with your chicks, as we have done this before with other abandoned birds, though having cats and dogs does not make the orphans aware of the danger, and they most probually dont last long, although the Dikkops are very aggressive which could help
Regards
Ron Keytel
I just love Dikkops. They are very clever and the babies can play “dead” like no other bird that I have seen before. The parents are very protective (us adults should be alike with our children!). The small ones grows very fast but I think that they often fell pray to cats.
Long live the Dikkop!
Our neighbours have a pair of Dikkops plus their two chicks, which have survived and are about the same size as the parentsnow. Recently they disappeared for about 3 weeks, but a couple of days ago all four are back. I am wondering how long they stay together as a family.
Hi our national park’s ranger asked me to rare a Dikkop baby. Its one week old now. I have made a special space in my flat next to my bed for him/her. The first couple of days I cut up pieces of springbok meat that was dipped in egg and fine bird seeds. Now Ive managed to collect quite a bit of earth worms, moths, larvae etc. from around the house and of course dedicated friends:-) I also alternate his diet between the springbok with mince that is mixed with seeds. Once in a while it will get raw chicken livers. Dikkie love laying flat on its belly in the sun during the day and closer to the evening on a luke warm water bottle. Its only a week old and the first day weighed in at 200g after 7 days it ways 250grams and is very strong and very lively at night. He/she lets me know during the night when its time to eat, so in 8 weeks time it should be at the stage of a fledgling. We will start our evening “walks” in the garden after 4 weeks:-) if all goes well.
Hi
I have been privileged to have a pair nest outside my house on the sandy, stoney verge. It was only the behavour of the adult birds that caught my attention, and low and behold I discovered two very camouflaged eggs in a shallow unlined scrape. After approximately 3 weeks two chicks arrived and appear ro be thriving. I keep an eye on them daily as lots of cats around but sometimes they are so difficult to spot as they blend in and lie so flat and still.
On Sunday, which was very hot, I didn’t see the whole family and was very concerned that I had lost them. This morning I went out to take a look and was so relieved to see them all together in their usual place again. I watched them toddle off around the corner to a more grassy area where I presume they will spend the day.
I only hope the chicks will survive the daily hazzards.
Please can someone help …. a pair dikkops have two eggs on my neighbour’s grass verge …. she hates birds. The Dikkops keep wandering to my garden by an oak tree, is it safe for me to move the eggs to under my Oak or best to leave them to their fate ? Its distressing me … Carole Kempton Park
0732043511
Hi Carole, I have only seen your query now, I will ask our Nature Reserve Managers to respond. Dee
Found a pair with one chick in our suburban home in Benoni. is this normal for this to happen in a build up area?
We have avoided them as much as possible does any one know if they will take up “permanent residence” or will they move on once the chick can fly.
I’ve also been feeling the concern expressed by other “Dikkop landlords”. This is the 2nd year we’ve had a pair in our garden at Grangehurst, Stellenbosch. Not sure if it’s the same pair, but I think so as they’ve laid their two eggs in the same place as last year. They didn’t hatch last year, but 4 days ago one of the eggs hatched, and the other egg hatched the next day. Two cute little chicks now roaming around with their folks, but they disappear from time to time. We’ve got a resident mongoose that lives in the vicinity and I really hope these little chicks make it. Would love to see the family of four surviving.
I have been given a “Dikkop” Chick (its only a few days old) whose mother was run over. I Have raised a swallow chick by feeding it puppy food and insects this was easy as the chick readily opened its mouth when hungry. but the Dikkop I presume forage themselves in the wild as this one has to be force fed with a syringe. I have tried to gently pry open the beak with my fingers but its lower beak is very soft and almost kinks if too much pressure is applied. using a syringe from the side of the beak seems to work best but still a struggle
It also cries incessantly only respite is when you hold it in your hand then it is semi quiet.
How many days/weeks until it can self feed.
How many days/weeks until it can safely be released?
Any tips would be appreciated
Thanks for your news, the toughest part is trying to release them back into the wild when they have become unafraid of humans cats & dogs.Good luck Ron Keytel
Hi guys – we had a couple with their two eggs in the garden, but when I got home today the entire family was missing. Not even an eggshell in sight. Any ideas?
What a relief to find this site. I just bought a property and inherited a dikkop family, currently nesting two egss. The concern(problem) I have, is that I am also the owner of two dogs (Pom and Foxterrier). For the last 3 days I have tried to introduce dogs to the family, but Nina (Foxterrier) sees them as ideal chasing mates. The neighbours are willing to adopt the dikkop family, but we are worried about the nesting period and when will be ideal period to relocate them and how?
Anybody with advise?
3 years later, we have still got ours, although there was a change in mates (unfortunate death, the period of mourning seemed to be about 10 mins, and a new mate was grabbed in about 3 weeks,lots of night time calling)
Nothing seems to disturb them and as we both work they do get “quiet” time during the day.
One presumes that if the dogs continue to disturb, they will move off.
Dogs are trainable, what I mean by that is I think you have time.
Regards
We live in Pretoria in a security complex and have had a pair of dikkops in our front garden for 5 years now. They have 3 to 4 sets of little ones each summer (always 2). Most times they survive but on the odd occasion are run over by a car when they still small and not street wise.(much to the distress of our family) Once they get to 6 weeks old all 4 disappear for a day or two and than only the parents come back. Would love to know where they go. Shortly after the parents come back they lay again. Two hatched this morning so we will have fun watching their antics over the holidays.
Merry Christmas everyone.
I live in Pinelands, Cape Town. A pair of Dikkops made my front hedge their home about two months ago – then voila! there were three chicks. They wander away but always return. The problem is they seem to have taken the ‘spot’ of another breed of bird – quite large, who stands at the hedge and screeches like a demon for hours on end. sounds like a peacock, and is a very distressing sound – I have been told it’s a francolin, but don’t agree. Can generally mute the noise by turning on the sprinklers … but as we are in a water rationing area – this is not always possible
I also have to contend with two cats clawing at the curtains to “get at ‘em” – ah, the joys!