Marabou stork

Leptoptilos crumenifer

A huge sub-Saharan stork with a bare head, heavy bill, and throat pouch, well known as both scavenger and wetland hunter.

Key facts

Marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer) is an omnivore animal classified as Bird · Ciconiiformes · Ciconiidae.
Primary habitats are savanna · freshwater · grassland, with a range across Afrotropical.
Activity is diurnal, sociality is loose group, and conservation status is LC (Least Concern).
A huge sub-Saharan stork with a bare head, heavy bill, and throat pouch, well known as both scavenger and wetland hunter.
Uses savannas, wetlands, lakeshores, river edges, and rubbish dumps, adapting readily to areas near people.

Habitat range map

Native rangeOccasional / Transient

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Uses savannas, wetlands, lakeshores, river edges, and rubbish dumps, adapting readily to areas near people.

The head and neck are bare, the back is dark, and the belly is white. A massive bill and hanging throat pouch are distinctive.

It gathers with vultures at carcasses, but also hunts fish and small animals near water. Large groups may roost together.

It eats carrion, fish, frogs, insects, eggs, young birds, and human refuse.

Adults build stick nests in trees and may breed in colonies. Chicks are fed regurgitated fish and small animals.

As a scavenger it helps recycle organic matter, while in towns it often lives in close contact with people.