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639 Featured Specimen
Marabou stork

Details

Marabou stork

Leptoptilos crumenifer

Size
1.2–1.5 m · 4.5–9 kg
Diet
Omnivore
Activity
Diurnal
Sociality
Loose group
Lifespan

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

Range

Habitat range map
Native range Occasional / Transient
AfrotropicalAfrotropicalAfrotropicalAfrotropical

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

Details

Habitat

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

Appearance

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

Behavior

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

Feeding

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

Reproduction

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

Notes

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