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Marabou Stork - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Max Holdt
Etosha National Park, Namibia, March 2005
Leptoptilos crumenifer

Identification

115–152 cm (45¼-60 in)

  • Bare head and neck
  • Black back
  • White underparts
  • Large bill
  • Pink throat sack
  • Neck ruff
  • Black legs and wings

The sexes are alike
Young birds are browner with a smaller bill. They take up to four years to fully mature.

Distribution

Photo by Paul Tiller
Masai Mara, Kenya, September 2009

Sub-Saharan Africa .

Taxonomy

Behavior
Photo © by volker sthamer
Ruaha National Park, Tanzania,
26 September 2019

This is a monotypic species[1].

Habitat

Wet and arid habitats.

Behaviour

Breeding

It builds a tree nest in which 2-3 eggs are laid.

Diet

Diet includes different kinds of animals, either alive or as carrion, including small mammals, reptiles, and similar prey. Living prey includes termites, fish, locusts, grasshoppers, caterpillars, frogs, rodents, crocodile eggs and hatchlings, quelea nestlings, doves, young and adult flamingos, cormorant nestlings, and pelican chicks.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Avian Web

Recommended Citation

External Links

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

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