MARABOU STORK
Leptoptilos crumeniferus
BIRD
Order Ciconliformes
- Description
- About 4 ft tall; wingspan about 8 ft; 10-20 lbs. Sexes alike in coloration;
male larger. Very large, heavy bodied stork with a massive conical bill.
Bare, dull red-spotted head, neck and gular pouch; long black legs. Mainly
dark grey above and white below. Bill 9.5 in. Juvenile similar but duller.
- Range
- Africa south of the Sahara.
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- Status
- Common an most of range. Abundant near towns or large colonies. Rare
in South Africa due to habitat destruction. Commercial trade of this species
is regulated by international law, since it may become endangered without
regulated trade.
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EcoIogy
Habitat
- Aquatic and open, semi-arid areas. Often associates with humans near
fishing villages and garbage dumps.
Niche
- Scavenger, carrion-eater: eats anything from termites, flamingoes and
small birds and mammals to human refuse and dead elephants. Attends carcasses
with vultures and hyenas. Perches and nests in trees, sometimes nests on
cliffs. Gregarious. Has the habits of a vulture, locating carcasses while
cruising high in the sky. Migratory or partially migratory. Many are sedentary.
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Life History
Colonial breeders. Nest is a large flat platform made of sticks with a
shallow central cup lined with smaller sticks and green leaves. Usually
2-3 eggs are laid during the dry season. Both sexes incubate; eggs hatch
in 30 days. Young are altricial. Both sexes tend and feed the young. Fledging
period is 3 to 4 months.
Special Adaptations
- Keen eyesight for locating carcasses from great distances.
Large conical bill enables it to stab fish, rats and flamingoes.
- Large size and large bill make bird unable to di-member carcassesbut
allows bird to steal bits of meat from nearby vultures, and to drive vultures
from a carcass.
- Long legs adapted for wading and walking through fields.
- Long, broad wings allow bird to fly and soar well; it can forage over
long distances from the colony.
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