A Marabou Stork seen at the dump site in George yesterday
afternoon.
Marabou Stork
The Marabou Stork - Leptoptilos crumeniferus - is a large bird in the stork family
Ciconiidae. It has one of the largest wing-spreads of any living bird. They have
a wide distribution through sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal
east to Eritrea and south to
KZN in South Africa.
It inhabits open savannas, swamps, river margins and lake shores, and is often
seen around human settlements.
Description
The Marabou is unmistakable due to its size, bare head and
neck, black back, and white underparts. It has a huge bill, a pink gular sac at
its throat, a neck ruff, and black legs and wings. Although the natural colour
of the legs and feet is dark grey/black, the build up of excrement makes them
appear almost white The sexes are alike, females are smaller than males, but
the young bird is browner and has a smaller bill. Full maturity is not reached
for up to four years.
Call
It is not very vocal, but indulges in bill-rattling in the
courtship displays as well making various noises from the gular sac.
Food
The Marabou Stork is a frequent scavenger, and the naked
head and neck are adaptations to this. It eats mainly carrion, scraps and
faeces, but will opportunistically eat variety of live prey including lizards,
frogs, various insects, snakes, rats, mice and birds.
Breeding
The pair build a stick nest, in trees or on cliffs-ledges,
and sometimes on buildings in towns and villages. When the nest is finished,
the female lays a clutch of two to three eggs, which are incubated over 29 to
31 days. The chicks fledge when around 13 to 15 weeks old, but do not reach
sexual maturity until at least four years.
Conservation Status –Least concern
This species has an extremely large range and the population
is suspected to be increasing as with the increasing availability of waste as a
food resource. This species is hunted and traded at traditional medicine
markets in Nigeria.
Birdwatching
Ask Aves Birding
Tours/Safaris/Adventures to create a tour for you or book on one of the
following Aves scheduled tours: -
Aves Arid Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.
Aves
Highlands / Tembe Birding
Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West
Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.