The dark plumage which contrasts with the white feathers on the underside of its body looks like a cloak draped over the marabou bird. However, the colors of the bird’s feathers and its shape from behind are a more literal reason for its creepy name. Some equate the marabou’s attraction to dead bodies with that of an undertaker. Even their white legs are such a shade because they’re known for excreting all over themselves.Īll of these unattractive features have boosted the stork into the unfortunate first place as the ugliest bird. These African storks are an eye-sore, with their scabby pink faces, featherless heads, and bulbous throat sac. The African storks may be one of the ugliest animals in Africa, but they are fascinating creatures and crucial to the environment.Ĭheck out 10 awesome marabou stork facts. Inhabiting diverse landscapes from dry savannas to swamps and lakeshores. Widely distributed throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, marabous have a large range. The marabou’s sickly appearance and unbecoming habits have earned it names such as the undertaker bird, and the nightmare bird. So, God decided to use all the leftover bird parts to create the unsightly marabou stork.

Shoebills have several ways of cooling themselves, including gular fluttering, i.e., expanding their throat sac to allow greater air passage and defecating on their legs to keep them from being exposed to heat.According to African legend, God ran out of animal parts while producing the creatures of Africa.

The presence of the nictitating membrane keeps their eyes moist, also protecting them from dirt and dust.

Their vision is strong, and they rely on it entirely for hunting.

Their long toes that lack webbing help the shoebill walk on vegetation easily, like the jacana, while maintaining their balance using their wings.

The large bills are the most striking feature of the shoebill, helping it scoop up large prey, which it kills using its beak’s razor-sharp edge.

Only large, desperately hungry animals like crocodiles attempt to attack them but only do so on rare occasions.Ĭhicks are sometimes stolen from their nests only when their parents aren’t around. They are some of the slowest birds ever to fly, at 150 flaps per minute, and cover distances of less than 330 to 1,640 ft.Īdult birds have no known natural predators due to their large size and intimidating appearance.

They are capable of flight but are rarely seen doing so, indicating a reluctance to fly.

These birds expel the excessive items keeping only their quarry, which gets decapitated before consumption.

They pick up water and vegetation, along with their intended prey. When hunting, the shoebill stays motionless in one spot until it suddenly lurches in a manner referred to as “collapsing”.

The chicks often make a typical sound when begging for food, similar to human hiccups. Though these birds are usually silent, they are known to communicate via bill clattering, sounding similar to a machine gun firing.

Only when food is scarce will these storks forage close to each other. Even breeding pairs rarely interact with each other. Shoebills are solitary and seldom seen in groups, foraging 20m apart, even in densely populated areas.These birds are long-lived, living for more than 35 years. Shoebills will also consume carrion, rodents, snails, and waterfowl on rare occasions or periods of scarcity. Sometimes it will also hunt frogs, mollusks, monitor lizards, juvenile crocodiles, and turtles. Piscivorous by nature, it primarily eats bichirs, catfish, lungfish, tilapia, and water snakes.

Shoebill stork making noise