Saddle-billed Stork - Żabiru afrykański
Africa, Botswana, 2012
Description
It is spectacularly plumaged, identical in male and female when perched but the female shows much more white in the primaries in flight. The head, neck, back, wings, and tail are iridescent black, with the rest of the body and the primary flight feathers being white. Juveniles are browner grey in plumage. The massive bill is red with a black band and a yellow frontal shield (the "saddle"). The legs and feet are black with pink hocks. On the chest is a bare red patch of skin, whose color darkens during breeding season.
This is a huge bird that regularly attains a height of 59 in, a length of 56 in and a 7.9–8.9 ft. wingspan. The male is larger and heavier than the female, with a range of 11–17 lb. It is probably the tallest of the storks (though not the heaviest), due in no small part to it extremely long legs (tarsus length is up to 14.4 in)). The long bill measures from 10.7 to 14.2 in. The sexes can be readily distinguished by the golden yellow irises of the female and the brown irises and dangling yellow wattles of the male. When in flight, they extend their necks to full length, drooping their heads slightly under the weight of the bill. This gives them a rather unique appearance.
Habitat
It inhabits extensive fresh, brackish or alkaline wetlands in open, semi-arid areas and savanna, with relatively high abundances of fish and with large trees nearby for nesting and roosting (although it avoids deeply forested areas). Suitable habitats include shallow freshwater marshes, wet grasslands, the margins of large or small rivers, lake shores, pans and flood-plains.
Voice
They are silent except for bill-clattering at the nest.
Diet
The saddle-billed stork, like most of its relatives, feeds mainly on fish, frogs and crabs, but also on small birds and reptiles. They move in a deliberate and stately manner as they hunt, in a similar way to the larger herons.Reproduction
These storks are most frequently found in pairs and are very territorial. They communicate by clattering their bill at the nest occasionally, but are otherwise rather quiet. The Saddle-billed Stork pairs for life, and will reuse their nest. The male and the female birds work together to construct their nest. They will choose the top boughs of a tree that is situated near to wetlands as the safest spot to hatch and rear their young. This is no mean feat as the nest has to be rather large, since it needs to accommodate the whole bird in a sitting position. The female stork lays between one and five eggs. The chicks are fed by both parents, and reach fledgling age at between 58 and 100 days old. Both members of the pair incubate the eggs for between 32 and 35 days. The longest lifespan of a Saddle-billed Stork in captivity is just over 30 years.
Photos by others.
commons.wikimedia
Dean J. Tatooles
JOS WANTEN
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