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| Marabou
Stork |
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| Common
Name: |
marabou
stork |
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| Class:
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Aves |
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| Order: |
Ciconiiformes |
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| Family:
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Ciconiidae |
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| Genus
species: |
Leptoptilos
(slender wing) crumeniferus (referring to the throat pouch) |
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| Fast
Facts |
| Description:
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Large,
long-legged, long-necked wading birds; long, bare throat sac |
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| Size: |
150
cm (59 in) |
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| Weight:
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Up
to 9 kg (20 lbs) |
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| Diet: |
Insects,
baby crocodiles, flamingos, small mammals, fish and carrion |
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| Incubation: |
30 to
50 days, 3-5 eggs |
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| Sexual
maturity: |
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| Life
span: |
Up to
20 years in zoos; wild life span not known |
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| Range:
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| Habitat:
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Marshes,
savannas and fields |
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| Population: |
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| Status:
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Not
listed by USFWS or CITES |
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| Fun
Facts |
| 1. |
In
addition to hollow leg bones, marabou storks have hollow toe bones.
In such a large bird, this is an important adaptation for flight.
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| 2. |
Marabou
storks are attracted to grass fires. They march in front of the advancing
fire grabbing animals that are fleeing. |
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| 3. |
The
pouch on their throat is not used for food storage, it is more likely
used in courtship. |
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| 4. |
Marabous
get much of their food through scavenging. They are attracted to lion
kills, domestic stock yards, plowed fields, and rubbish piles. |
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| 5. |
Marabous
nest in the dry season when carrion and evaporating pools that contain
the natural prey necessary to raise their young are available. |
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| 6. |
These
storks need to eat more than 700 grams (25 oz) of food a day. |
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| Ecology
and Conservation |
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Marabous,
as well as many other storks and vultures, consume parts of rotting
carcasses. They also break through thick hides of large, deceased
mammals with their powerful beak. This helps to speed up the decomposition
process and allows for other weaker scavengers to have access to
the carcass. In addition, they are important predators, frequently
seen standing on termite mounds ingesting swarming insects. In turn,
these birds themselves are prey for large carnivores.
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| Bibliography |
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Gotch,
A.F. Birds - Their Latin Names Explained. Poole, Dorst:
Blandford Press, 1981.
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Perrins,
Dr. Christopher. Birds: Their Life, Their Ways, Their World. New
York: The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. 1979. |
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Perrins,
Dr. Christopher M. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Birds: The
Definitive Reference to Birds of the World. New York: Prentice
Hall Press. 1990.
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Perrins,
Dr. Christopher M. and Dr. Alex L.A. Middleton, eds. The Encyclopedia
of Birds. New York: Facts on File Pub. 1985. |
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to Animal Bytes |
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