Hamerkops

Hamerkops are a species of animal native to the Pride Lands.
==Physical characteristics==
Hamerkops are medium-sized birds with brown feathers and blue beaks and legs. They have tan wingtips and red stripes on their wings. As hatchlings, their feathers are gray.
==Sociocultural characteristics==
Hamerkops live in nests made of twigs on the savanna. They are preyed upon by hawks. As infants, hamerkops perform a dance to bond with their family.
==History==
===The Lion Guard===
===="Ono and the Egg"====
When Kulinda the hamerkop notices Ono chasing a harrier hawk through the Pride Lands, she shields her nest from the danger and worries what will become of her egg with such a dangerous predator in the area. After the Lion Guard sends the hawk away, Kulinda watches them in fascination and decides that Ono would make the perfect babysitter for her egg. Without consulting him, she carries her egg to Ono's nest and deposits it among the twigs.
Later that day, the Lion Guard leads Ono back to his nest and praises him for a hard day's work. Ono is about to settle down in his nest when he feels Kulinda's egg and realizes that a hamerkop has left an egg in his nest. He reacts with confusion, wondering why a hamerkop would abandon its egg, and Kion resolves to find the mother and clear up the confusion. Ono comments that the egg is close to hatching and requires someone to sit on it in order to keep it warm. Bunga volunteers to keep the egg warm, but Ono worries that he will be too rough with it and decides to sit on the egg himself.
While Ono is sitting on the egg, it suddenly hatches beneath him. A baby hamerkop emerges and begins to imprint on Ono, much to his dismay. Shortly afterward, the baby hamerkop chases a bug out of Ono's nest, and Ono is forced to pursue her across the savanna.
Ono continues to chase after the baby hamerkop, who strays dangerously close to a raging river. Ono manages to save the infant just in time and proceeds to scold her for running away from him. He tries to convince her to return to the safety of his nest, but she indicates that she is too tired for the return journey. Giving in to her demands, Ono leads the baby hamerkop into some tall grass and falls asleep with her tucked underneath his wing.
Meanwhile, the Lion Guard arrives at Ono's nest, only to find it empty. Kulinda begins to frantically call for her baby, and the baby hamerkop follows her mother's cries to Ono's nest, where the two finally meet each other for the first time. Mother and daughter begin to imprint on one another, and Ono watches in delight, happy to see his charge safe once more. After the imprint is complete, Kulinda thanks Ono for his help, and he warns her that baby hamerkops can get very distracted by insects. No sooner has he said this when he realizes that the baby hamerkop has gone missing again, and he and the rest of Lion Guard rush to save her from danger.
Ono scopes out the area for the baby hamerkop and spots her wandering near the river. Fuli attempts to save the baby hamerkop from danger, but arrives too late to stop her from falling into the raging water. With no time to lose, the Lion Guard and Kulinda pursue the baby hamerkop down the river, only to watch in horror as Mpishi grasps the baby in her talons and takes off for the safety of the skies.
Kulinda and Ono attempt to thwart Mpishi's plans, but Mpishi works together with Mwoga to keep the baby hamerkop from falling back into the Lion Guard's grasp. From the ground, Bunga works out how he can help Kulinda and Ono, and climbs a tree in order to reach the feuding birds. He manages to knock Mwoga from the sky, but Mpishi only takes the baby hamerkop from him and swoops out of harm's way once more.
As Ono watches Mpishi fly away, he works out how he and Kulinda can work together, and the two flank her from the front and the back, forcing her to drop the baby. Mpishi crashes unceremoniously to the ground, where she is surrounded by the Lion Guard and forced to return to her own territory.
After the rescue, Kulinda thanks Ono by naming her daughter "Ona" in his honor. The three then do the imprinting dance together, as Ono is now considered their family.
===="Return to the Pride Lands"====
Ono returns from the Tree of Life and reunites with Kulinda and Ona.
==Notable hamerkops==
* Kulinda
* Ona
==Appearances==
* The Lion Guard
** "Ono and the Egg"
** "Return to the Pride Lands"
Category:Canon articles
Category:Species