I’m a Big Bird

Standing up to five feet tall and weighing nearly 20 pounds, marabou storks are very big birds. The largest birds in the stork family, their wingspan is typically between seven and nine feet, but there are reports of individuals reaching over 12 feet. Perhaps their most impressive body part is their huge gular sac, a fleshy throat pouch that hangs from the neck and can be up to 18 inches long and is used primarily for mating rituals. Their scientific name, crumenifer, comes from the Latin “crumena,” meaning a money bag worn around the neck.

My Nickname Is the “Undertaker Bird”

Although storks are often associated with bringing babies, marabou storks have a different reputation. They are known as “undertaker birds,” thanks to their hunched appearance, the tufts of white hair-like feathers on their head, and wings that look like an undertaker’s long black coat. Their fondness for rotten carcasses probably doesn’t help either, but as carrion eaters, they actually help clean up their environment and reduce the spread of bacteria.

I’ll Eat Anything 

Marabou storks are opportunists that will eat anything from termites to elephant carcasses. With no feathers to get soiled on their head and neck, they are well adapted to digging into carrion and garbage. Sadly, as scavengers, they are increasingly found near landfills and are becoming dependent on human trash, which can be detrimental to their health. They have even been seen swallowing dangerous items like shoes and pieces of metal! An unusual feeding habit is to go near the front of fires to catch wildlife escaping the danger. In the dry season, they eat aquatic species as the lakes dry up.