Karoo thunderstorms in the Great Karoo. The Swartberg Pass is not tarred and can be treacherously slippery after rain. It also becomes impassable after heavy snowfalls on the mountain, a not infrequent occurrence in winter. Poet Thomas Hardy wrote of the Karoo in his poem "Drummer Hodge". In "Bridge-Guard in the Karroo", Rudyard Kipling evoked the loneliness experienced by blockhouse soldiers at Ketting station on the Dwyka River while guarding the Karoo railway track, a lifeline during the South African War (excerpts). Karoo The Karoo ( ; from a Khoikhoi word, possibly "garo" "desert") is a semi desert natural region of
Karoo korhaan and breast of the subspecies "E. v. namaqua" is greyer compared to the nominate subspecies. Karoo korhaans are omnivorous, but plant material is dominant in their diet. Flowers, fruit, leaves and corms all being taken. In particular, flowers from Asteraceae, Brassicaceae and Mesembryanthemaceae are all seasonally important. Karoo korhaan The karoo korhaan ("Eupodotis vigorsii"), also known as karoo bustard, is a species of bird in the bustard family, Otididae, from Southern Africa. The species is sometimes placed in the genus "Heterotetrax". It is the sister-species to Rüppell's korhaan, and the two species are sometimes considered conspecific (the same species). There