Hammerkop

One Hammerkop calls the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo home. Keep reading to learn about his history and species!

Hammerkop Fun Facts

• Natural hammerkop habitats include Africa, Madagascar, Arabia
• The name hammerkop means hammerhead
• These birds eat fish, frogs, shrimps, insects, and small mice
• Hamerkops make a huge nest, which can be 5 feet across and are strong enough to hold a man. They like to build their nest in the fork of a tree, making a platform of sticks/mud, building walls and a domed roof, and then creating a mud-plastered entrance tunnel. It takes 10-14 weeks to build, and can take 8000 sticks.
• Lifespan is about 20 years

Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo Hammerkop

Thor Thor is a male hammerkop who hatched in 2017. He came to the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo from the Dallas Zoo.

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