Marabou stork
Scientific name
Leptoptilos crumenifer
Size and weight
1.2 to 1.5 m tall, a wingspan of 2.25 to 2.9 m and 4.5 to 8 kg
Diet
Carrion, scraps and small animals but will opportunistically eat almost any animal matter they can swallow
Conservation status
Least concern
Native habitat
Africa, south of the Sahara, in a variety of habitats including savannahs, grasslands, lakes, rivers, swamps and landfill sites
Lifespan
Up to 25 years in the wild and can live over 40 years in captivity
Meet our marabou stork
Our marabou stork is called Fester and he lives with a flock of little egrets. He is a very intelligent bird who enjoys training with his keepers and playing with his football. His favourite food is fish, and he likes crickets as a special treat too.
About marabou storks
Marabou storks are huge wading birds with a bare head and neck and a large bill with a big pink throat sac, or gular sac, hanging underneath. Like most storks, marabous are sociable and breed in colonies, although they are known to be quite ill tempered!
Most of the time, marabou storks are very quiet. That’s because they don’t have a voice box like other birds. However, during courtship they get noisy! They clack their bills together, known as bill-rattling, and inflate their throat sacs with air to make a range of grunts, croaks and deep booming noises.
Marabou storks are not fussy eaters and will eat pretty much anything they can find and often feed on carrion. They like to hang around with vultures, waiting for cast-offs. During the breeding season, they switch to small live prey to feed their young. Marabou storks are also often seen on rubbish dumps, with hundreds of birds at a time sifting through the rubbish.
Did you know?
- marabou storks often feed on dead animals, which helps stop diseases spreading
- despite their large wings, they generally fly just to find their next carcass, soaring on thermals rather than flapping
- they have been known to follow fires, preying on animals as they flee the flames
- their bald heads stops blood getting matted in their feathers when feeding on carcasses
- their looks and habits earn them the nickname the undertaker bird – their dark feathers hang over the white, reminding people of the grim reaper’s cloak
- they poo on their black legs to cool down, staining them white
