Why do hadedas love Johannesburg so much?
Hadedas are so noisy they almost sent Pharrell Williams packing during a 2018 visit to Johannesburg. Here's why Joburg is their favourite hangout spot in South Africa.
The Hadeda Ibis is one of South Africa's most (in) famous birds.
The big, dark grey-brown bird is hard to miss, but you don't need to see it to know it is nearby. Their "haa-haa-de-dah" call is so noisy that it puts even the loudest rooster to shame.
Unlike the rooster, which we only expect to wake us at the crack of dawn (even though it crows throughout the day), the hadeda is like an alarm clock you can't hit snooze on.
It always seems to make its presence known at the worst possible time. Like when an international singer who just landed in Johannesburg is trying to take a nap.
Pharrell Williams made headlines in 2018 when he shared a video of himself looking seriously stressed by annoying sounds outside his hotel room.
"What the f*** is that, bro?" he asks. All you hear in the background is a chorus of hadedas squawking.
Seriously, bro, just take a Grand-Pa or a Pando.
There is a reason South Africans don't call them a flock of hadedas, but rather a harassment of hadedas or a hullabaloo of hadedas, and our personal favourite: a vuvuzela of hadedas.
The Hadeda Ibis, also spelt Hadada Ibis, is native to Southern Africa but is also found in several other parts of the continent.
They are quite common in South Africa, but seem to love Johannesburg the most.
In Xhosa culture, they have great spiritual meaning. They are considered a messenger of the ancestors. In Zulu culture, the bird is called iNkankane.
"Our Ancestors understood the character of this bird and that it was a sign of horn of death. Whenever it shouts and screams, it [is] calling on the dark cloud. Our ancestors will normally shout it out, cursing it as [a] sign to reject the dark cloud," according to a Facebook post.
"Whenever they scream in pairs over a house...they bring death messages," one woman commented on the post.
A second person added: "There are 3 of [these] birds in my yard almost every day... a voice told me in my dreams that 3 people are trying to destroy me."
Why do hadedas love Johannesburg so much?
Hadedas love a big urban forest, and Joburg has plenty of trees. According to JoburgParks, "Johannesburg is home to over 10 million trees, making it one of the largest human-made urban forests on Earth."
Those Jacaranda trees aren't just pretty to look at. They are the perfect nesting spot for hadedas.
What's not to love about the suburbs? Johannesburg has many suburbs with lawns watered to perfection. Again, pretty to look at, but lush, green lawns mean lots of worms and tasty insects.
This one might be debatable, but the suburbs are generally safer than the wild. The African crowned eagle is considered one of its biggest predators.
While the birds of prey aren't exactly nonexistent in Jozi, there are certainly more hadedas than eagles in the 'City of Gold'.
You're more likely to see a hadeda than an eagle while chilling in your lush, worm-rich garden.
Love them or hate them, hadedas are here to stay.
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Image credit: iStock