Marabou stork
He can swallow old shoes
Its name derives from an Arabic word meaning “ calm ” or “ hermit ” : however the Marabou lives in large colonies, almost all over Africa, and is therefore non-threatened species.
This large stork measures 1m50, weighs up to 9 kg and has an enormous wingspan, about 2m50 to 3m, almost beating the condor !
It eats almost everything, especially carrion and – like vultures – it has a bare head and a neck, which is more practical for plunging into carcasses without soiling its feathers !
It also colonises rubbish dumps close to towns, eating the left-overs and therefore having a very useful sanitary function : its stomach is so solid that it has been seen to swallow old shoes, pieces of metal, even a butcher's knife… and to survive !
It lives in wet or semi-desert areas and builds large nests, high up in the trees.
Around twenty Marabou storks in the Jardin des Mondes
Two groups of Marabou storks live in Pairi Daiza. The first one with the sitatungas, in the African world. The second one near the Tamberma village, also in the African world.
A less threatened species
- Name: Marabou stork
- Latin name: Leptoptilos crumenifer
- Origin: Africa, between the Sahel and South Africa
- IUCN status: Least concerned
- Cites: Appendix III
