Cool Facts About The Marabou Stork
- The Marabou Stork is the largest of all storks, a species notorious for its height and leg length. Believe it or not these birds can reach heights of 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) and weighs upwards of 9kg (19.8 lbs).
- This special stork has an interesting physical trait in the form of a large air sac that hangs below the throat and is often hidden by the neck ruff when deflated. The sac is around 45cm long, becoming quite prominent when inflated during the breeding season
- For communication, Marabou Storks use two techniques. The first technique involves clacking their large beaks while the second entails producing a guttural croaking sound with assistance from their throat sac.
- These birds live throughout most of tropical Africa and is often found in open grassland areas within close proximity to large bodies of water.
- Due to their size, Marabou Storks have hollow toes and leg bones to reduce their weight and enable them to fly.
The Prey of a Giant Stork
Primarily a scavenger, Marabou Storks break down thick
carcass hides with their large, strong beaks. Not picky about the
location of their food, they will share sites with vultures, visit
stockyards and even rummage through trash.
Nevertheless, Marabou Storks
hunt as well with potential prey including termites, small mammals,
young crocodiles, fish, reptiles, and other birds.
These storks are
attracted to fires and utilize them for hunting by positioning
themselves in front of the fire in order to catch and consume animals
that flee the flames. Wow, that is just mean…but very opportunistic.
25 Years to Life
Marabou Storks breed during the dry season, coming
together to form colonies that can contain thousands of birds. These
colonies are sometimes shared with other species, and the storks tend to
return to the same breeding area year after year.
Nests are built in
trees or on ledges, usually between 10 and 30 meters above the ground.
Stork populations that live near human inhabited areas will also use
manmade structures for their nesting.
Between three and five eggs are
laid and incubated by both parents for around 30 days. Chicks fledge
between 95 and 115 days and reach sexual maturity around the age of
four. The average life span of a Marabou Stork is 25 years.
A Disgusting Habit
Interestingly enough, Marabou Storks will defecate on
their own legs.
Now before you get all grossed out, keep reading to find
out why they do this. The whitewash, as it is called, has antiseptic
properties and helps keeps the storks’ legs cool. Even though the legs
of the Marabou Stork are a gray-brown, the whitewash makes them appear
white.
So what did we learn today?
Never, under any circumstances touch the legs of a Marabou Stork.
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