This poor bird certainly drew the short straw when it came to names.
For years he was known as a Dikkop in birding circles, an Afrikaans word which means ‘Thick Head’. Now that’s not very respectful, is it?
Recently those clever people who do these sorts of things decided to change his name, and in doing so did the bird no favours. Thick Head became Thick-Knee, but all his friends still call him ‘Old Thicky’.
No wonder he looks sad
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The bird namers are, in fact, fatheads! I have always thought how undeserving that bird is of such an uncomplimentary name.
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Absolutely! The Bateleur Eagle also comes to mind here. He went from a majestic acrobat to an ordinary short tailed bird.
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During our time crocodile farming while looking for crocodile eggs in the wild we would watch out and listen for Dikops. These birds would lay their own eggs near crocodile nests for protection. The crocodiles benefited from this also as the birds warned the crocs of the presence of predatory Nile Monitors.
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Yes, we usually also see crocs where we see the Dikkops. Nature has many clever plans for survival!
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