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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
marabou
stork |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Ciconiiformes |
| FAMILY: |
Ciconiidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Leptoptilos
(slender wing) crumeniferus (referring to
the throat pouch) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Marabou
storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading
birds with a long, bare throat sac. |
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| SIZE: |
Approximately
150 cm (59 in.) |
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| WEIGHT: |
Up
to 9 kg (20 lb) |
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| DIET: |
Feeds
on insects, baby crocodiles, flamingos, small mammals,
fish and carrion |
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| INCUBATION: |
30-50
days |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
3-5 eggs |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
4-5
years |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Up
to 20 years in zoos; wild life span not known |
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| RANGE: |
Throughout
Africa into some parts of Asia and Europe |
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| HABITAT: |
Found
in marshes, savannas and fields |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
In addition to hollow leg bones, marabou storks
have hollow toe bones. In such a large bird, this
is an important adaptation for flight. |
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| 2. |
Marabou
storks are attracted to grass fires. They march
in front of the advancing fire grabbing animals
that are fleeing. |
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| 3. |
The
pouch on their throat is not used for food storage;
it is more likely used in courtship. |
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| 4. |
Marabous
get much of their food through scavenging. They
are attracted to lion kills, domestic stockyards,
plowed fields, and rubbish piles. |
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| 5. |
Marabous
nest in the dry season when carrion and evaporating
pools that contain the natural prey necessary to
raise their young are available. |
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| 6. |
These
storks need to eat more than 700 g (1.6 lbs) of
food a day. |
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Marabous,
as well as many other storks and vultures, consume
parts of rotting carcasses. They also break through
thick hides of large, deceased mammals with their
powerful beak. This helps to speed up the decomposition
process and allows for other weaker scavengers
to have access to the carcass. In addition, they
are important predators, frequently seen standing
on termite mounds ingesting swarming insects.
In turn, these birds themselves are prey for large
carnivores.
The
Association of American Zoos and Aquariums recognizes
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay as the first to successfully
breed this species.
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|
| Gotch,
A.F. Birds - Their Latin Names Explained.
Poole, Dorst: Blandford Press, 1981. |
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| Perrins,
Dr. Christopher. Birds: Their Life, Their Ways,
Their World. New York: The Reader's Digest Association,
Inc. 1979. |
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|
Perrins,
Dr. Christopher M. And Dr. Alex L.A. Middleton,
eds. The Encyclopedia of Birds. New York:
Facts on File Pub. 1985.
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| Perrins,
Dr. Christopher M. The Illustrated Encyclopedia
of Birds: The Definitive Reference to Birds of the
World. New York: Prentice Hall Press. 1990. |
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