#SHOEBILL STORKS GROWN SIZE PLUS#

On the whole these birds are fairly silent as they don’t have a voice box, but can be seen clacking their bills (also known as ‘bill-rattling’) when displaying to others. It inflates this with air and uses it to make particular noises linked to their nostrils, especially during courtship rituals throughout the mating season. The marabou has a large gular sac that hangs below its throat. They form monogamous pairs, with females laying between 2-3 eggs after approximately 30 days of incubation. They nest high in trees, often in large social colonies. Marabou storks generally breed during the drier seasons, as it is easier to find their live food sources when bodies of water begin to dry up. This is linked to the fact that their offspring require live food when born and it is easier to eat the same during this period. In urban areas groups of these storks can be found around rubbish heaps, searching for whatever they can find, sometimes consuming things that appear inedible.ĭuring the breeding season marabou storks will generally feed on live prey, such as certain birds and chicks, but also insects, frogs, lizards and also eggs. They will also eat other carrion or dead animals that they can find, which serves as an important function to stop the spread of disease.

Before this it is more brown than black in colour and has a smaller beak than when they become adults.Ī marabou stork is known as a scavenger and can often be found near groups of vultures, feeding on bits of food that have been cast aside by them or waiting until they have had their fill and then eating what they can from what is left. The marabou stork is thought to only reach sexual maturity at around 4 years old.

#SHOEBILL STORKS GROWN SIZE PLUS#

Scavengers feeding on any animal matter they can find plus carrion, scraps and sometimes animal faeces Their heads and necks are relatively feather free, with males and females both having large throat sacs, or gular sacs, that hang underneath.Ī range of habitats from arid zones to swamps, from savannah to fishing townsġ20 – 150cm (4 – 5ft) in height, 225 – 365cm (7 – 12 ft) wingspanīlack feathers on their backs and white feathers on their undersides They have small beady eyes surrounded by red mottled bare skin. It has long, skinny legs, which help it wade through water if necessary and a large, pale yellow, wedge-like beak.

It has black feathers that cover its back and wings, with white feathers around its neck and underbody. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa and found in a variety of habitats that range from fairly dry to pretty wet and include savannahs, grasslands, lakes, rivers, swamps and even rubbish heaps. The marabou stork is a huge and fairly imposing bird that makes up part of the stork family.

Shoebill storks grown size