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Marabou Fact Sheet

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Scientific Name: Leptoptilos crumeniferus

Common Names:

English: Marabou Stork

Afrikaans: Maraboe

 

 

 

 

 

Marabou Storks are one of the heaviest birds that can fly. Their wingspan reaches 2.8 metres. At Tenikwa guests love to interact with Earl and Edwina, our hand-raised Marabou Storks, whose comical antics will keep you amused for hours.

 

Size:
Penguins are approximately 50cm tall and adult birds weigh between 2-4kgs. Their swimming speed is 15-20kph, and they can reach diving depth up to 130m, but usually less than 30m. They can stay under the water for up to 5 minutes. Penguins can live up to 24 years in captivity, but in the wild, average 10-11years.
Food:
Shoaling Fish like Sardines (Pilchards), anchovies, horse mackerel, round herrings, Squid. A penguin not busy raising chicks can eat about 300g of fish per day. (110kg per year)
Juveniles are entirely Blue Grey and is referred to as “Baby Blues” or “Blues”. They do not yet have the unmistakable black and white penguin suit. They retain this juvenile colouring for about 12 – 22 months. Adults have the distinctive Black and white colouring. They have white face markings with a black band over their chest and completely black backs.
Breeding:
Breeding season: All year round but in South Africa normally March – May. They breed from 2 years of age, laying 1-2 white eggs in a burrow. After an incubation period of 40 days, the chicks will hatch. It takes between 60-130 days to fledge.
Moulting:
Penguins moult once per year, normally between November and January. They first fatten up at sea, increasing their body weight by 30% over a 5 week period, and then move onto land where they can spend up to 20 days moulting. They can lose up to 1kg per day whilst in moult.

Marabous have hollow legs and hollow toes in order to make themselves lighter to fly. They are masters at using wind currents to thermal at great heights.

Habitat: Marabou prefer dry open savannahs near large lakes or rivers. Marabous are often found around fishing villages, slaughterhouses and rubbish dumps.

Distribution: The Marabou Stork is found throughout most of tropical Africa .

This is a huge, un-missable and unmistakable stork. Marabou are scavengers and can be found around refuse dumps as well as with vultures around carcasses. However they don't rely solely on scavenging, they will catch small rodents and reptiles. Airborne, the Marabou are superb flyers, soaring at high altitude across the plains.

Size: A large male Marabou Stork, standing up to 1.5 m tall and weighing nearly 9 kg, is one of the largest flying birds in the world. Their wingspan approaches 2.9 m.

Diet Description: Marabou Storks will eat just about any kind of animal, dead or alive. Living prey includes termites, fish, locusts, grasshoppers, army-worm caterpillars, frogs, rodents, crocodile eggs and hatchlings, quelea nestlings, doves, young and adult flamingos, cormorant nestlings and pelican chicks.

Reproduction: The female lays 2-3 chalky white eggs. Both parents incubate for 29-31 days. Chicks grow rapidly in the first few weeks of life as their parents keep them constantly supplied with food regurgitated onto the floor of the nest. The pre-fledging period, 95-115 days, is relatively long in this species. Most birds reach sexual maturity in their fourth year and may live for more than 25 years.

Facts:

  • In addition to hollow leg bones, marabou storks have hollow toe bones. In such a large bird, this is an important adaptation for flight.
  • Marabou storks are attracted to grass fires. They march in front of the advancing fire grabbing animals that are fleeing.
  • The pouch on their throat is not used for food storage; it is more likely used in courtship.
  • Marabous get much of their food through scavenging. They are attracted to lion kills, domestic stockyards, plowed fields, and rubbish piles.
  • Marabous nest in the dry season when carrion and evaporating pools that contain the natural prey necessary to raise their young are available.
  • These storks need to eat more than 700 g (1.6 lbs) of food a day.

Storks 1  Storks dam2

 

Storks eye   Stork dam