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Description
The Egyptian Plover, Pluvianus aegyptius, is also known as a Crocodile Bird. Well ... first of all it isn't a plover! It is now being placed in its own family, the only one, making it very unique. It also isn't Egyptian! It occurs in northern sub-Saharan Africa, and in a smaller population just south of the equator. It lives on sandy banks of large tropical rivers. There is a story that it cleans bits of meet from the open mouths of crocodiles! But this has never been verified in reality. What is interesting about them is that they lay their eggs in hot sand, thus needing the keep them cool rather than hot! They do this by soaking their belly feathers in water and then sitting on the eggs. They bring water to their chicks in the same way. And they hide their chicks from approaching predators by burying them in the sand! Acrylic painting.

Description
The Egyptian Plover, Pluvianus aegyptius, is also known as a Crocodile Bird. Well ... first of all it isn't a plover! It is now being placed in its own family, the only one, making it very unique. It also isn't Egyptian! It occurs in northern sub-Saharan Africa, and in a smaller population just south of the equator. It lives on sandy banks of large tropical rivers. There is a story that it cleans bits of meet from the open mouths of crocodiles! But this has never been verified in reality. What is interesting about them is that they lay their eggs in hot sand, thus needing the keep them cool rather than hot! They do this by soaking their belly feathers in water and then sitting on the eggs. They bring water to their chicks in the same way. And they hide their chicks from approaching predators by burying them in the sand! Acrylic painting.