hammerhead, noun

Plurals:
hammerheads, or unchanged.
Origin:
Translation of Afrikaans hamerkop.
The hammerkop, Scopus umbretta. Also attributive.
1881 E.E. Frewer tr. of E. Holub’s Seven Yrs in S. Afr. I. 112I noticed an enormous nest, which at first I imagined must be an ape’s; but I subsequently learnt that it belonged to the hammerhead (Scopus umbretta).
1923 Haagner & Ivy Sketches of S. Afr. Bird-Life 139The Hammerhead..in its characteristic brown garb, crested head and long legs,..is a familiar figure along the shores of water-courses, vleis and dams..on the prowl for frogs and small fish.
1967 J.A. Broster Red Blanket Valley 54In hushed voices they told me of a mysterious bird which feeds on frogs and tadpoles. It has great powers of magic, but if left alone is harmless. In Xhosa it is called U-Thekwane, in English, Hammerhead or Umber.
1980 E. Prov. Herald 11 Jan. 7Peggy had been recounting the excitement with which a couple of hammerheads had discovered our old goldfish pond, and what a meal they made of the inhabitants.
1982 A.P. Brink Chain of Voices 84The hammerhead was the most dire omen of all, whether you saw it peering into the water of the marsh and calling up the spirits of the dead, or flying past the setting sun, or uttering its three mournful cries over hut or house.
The hammerkop, Scopus umbretta. Also attributive.
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Afrikaans
hamerkop, nounn.hammerkop, nounn.
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