The Marabou Stork, Aka The Undertaker Bird
Wikimedia CommonsThe Marabou stork is often called the “undertaker bird” because of its cloak-like wings and mass of white hair.
Marabou storks, or Leptoptilos crumeniferus, are particularly scary-looking birds because of their skulking walk and bizarre silhouette. But they acquired their eerie traits for evolutionary reasons. Both their leg and toe bones are entirely hollow — allowing these large birds to take flight.
The African marabou has a wingspan of up 8 and a half feet and stands nearly 5 feet tall. Bald-headed scavengers, marabou feast on the carcasses of large mammals. More commonly, they snack on termites, birds as sizable as flamingos — and even dead elephants.
A group of marabou storks defends their catch from an eagle.When all else fails, these resourceful creatures have been known to pick through human refuse.
The males are easily distinguishable by their large air sacs, which females lack entirely. The latter are also substantially shorter, while both are heavyset storks with enormous conical bills. Similarly, either sex is decorated in bare gray, black, and white colors with red-spotted heads and long black legs.
Marabou stork eat carrion, fish, termites, locusts, frogs, lizards, snakes, rats, mice, birds, and even baby crocodiles.cuatrok77/Flickr The incubation period for offspring of this species is between 30 and 50 days. LaggedOnUser/Flickr While their lifespan in captivity is 20 years, it remains unknown how long marabou live in the wild.Sid Mosdell/Flickr These storks have an expansive range, and can be found all over Sub-Saharan Africa. Chris Eason/Flickr The marabou prefer open and dry savannas, grasslands, riverbanks, swamps, and receding pools with plenty of fish.cuatrok77/Flickr There are at least 10,000 mature marabou stork in the wild.Yu-Chan Chen/Flickr Fortunately, this species is designated as being of "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.Brian Ralphs/Flickr Marabou storks have hollow leg and toe bones which allow these large birds to take flight. Per Arne Slotte/Flickr Much of their diet is secured through scavenging, eating anything from lion kills to human refuse. Christoph Strässler/Flickr Marabou storks have been known to eat adult flamingoes. Dave & Margie Hill / Kleerup/Flickr The pouch on their throat evolved to attract a breeding partner.aecole2010/Flickr Marabou stork are both hunted and traded at some medicine markets in Nigeria.Tim Strater/Flickr Marabou storks perching on the treetops of Amora Gedel National Park in Ethiopia.David Stanley/Flickr
The Marabou Stork View GalleryMarabous grow their full plumage by the time they are 4 years old. While they don't have any feathers on their neck or head, they do have white, soft tail feathers, coincidentally called marabou. Perhaps most glaring is the long reddish pouch dangling from their necks.
This 18-inch-long inflatable pink sac is entirely used for mating rituals, as it connects to the left nostril and serves as an amplifier for the bird's guttural croaks. Besides breeding season, marabous will only utilize that feature if threatened — and are generally rather quiet creatures.
As colonial breeders, marabou stork nests are comprised of large flat platforms made of sticks that protect a shallow central cup lined with leaves. Typically, they lay two to three eggs during the dry season, with both sexes taking turns for incubation. Their eggs hatch within 30 days.
While marabou can appear loving and gentle, they certainly protect their spot on the food chain with utter indifference. Attracted to grass fires, these birds will march toward them and snatch any fleeing animals up to feed upon.
Despite their bizarre appearance, watching these storks take flight is indeed a majestic sight.
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