Hadada

/hɑː.ˈdɑː.dɑː/ noun

Definition

A large African wading bird with dark plumage and a loud, distinctive call, also called a hadada ibis.

Etymology

From Xhosa or another African language, an onomatopoetic name imitating the bird's characteristic loud, laughing call. The word itself mimics the 'ha-da-da' sound the bird makes.

Kelly Says

The hadada's call is so distinctive and piercing that it's often the first sign of evening in African wetlands—locals could identify the time of day by when the hadadas started their chorus!

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