Nonyane
The
kori bustard (kgori) is one of the most known birds in Botswana partly
because of its huge frame and the fact that it is considered a delicacy
reserved only for royalty. It
is often called nonyane ya dikgosi. In the olden days, ordinary people
were forbidden from eating it and if it so happened that a hunter killed
the bird while out hunting, he would take it straight to the kgosi as a
tribute to him. In some instances, some members of merafe who were
regarded inferior, were expected to give it to someone from the senior
merafe. Legend has it that the Bakgalagadi were not allowed to eat the
bird and if they happened to catch it, they would give it to the nearest
Mokwena, a tribal cousin. The
majestic kori bustard, which is native to Africa, is possibly the heaviest
bird capable of flight. It further says that the male averages about 110
cm in length, stands |
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60-90 cm tall and has a wingspan of about 230-275 cm. The female averages 5.7 kg and is usually 20 percent shorter than the male. There is no doubt that since the bird is heavy and therefore a poor flier, this makes it easy prey for predators. According to Kabelo Senyatso, the director of BirdLife Botswana, in the country, they consider the bird to be a threatened species although globally, the bird is not in the red. |