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.