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Leptoptilos crumeniferus
The marabou stork, Leptoptilos crumeniferus, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It breeds in Africa south of the Sahara, occurring in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation, especially waste tips. It is sometimes called the "Undertaker Bird" due to its shape from behind: cloak-like wings and back, skinny white legs, and sometimes a large white mass of "hair."
The marabou stork is a frequent scavenger, and the naked head and neck are adaptations to this, as it is with the vultures with which the stork often feeds. In both cases, a feathered head would become rapidly clotted with blood and other substances when the bird's head was inside a large corpse, and the bare head is easier to keep clean.
These guys are actually outside a rehabilitation centre. Although they can leave any time to the Kruger close by, it seems they were being fed in one area, so why go? This is my favorite "ugly" bird.
Spotted on Nov 1, 2011
Submitted on Aug 5, 2012
2 Comments
Nice series.
It was a cloudy day, so didn't get all the detail in that close up.