Sunday 19 May Marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumeniferus) What’s
the World’s Favourite Species?Find out here. Marabou stork fact
file - Find out more - Print factsheet Marabou stork description
With its huge, ungainly stature, balding pink head and enormous
wedge-shaped bill, it is easy to see why many consider the
Marabou stork to be a somewhat ‘ugly’ bird (2) (3) (4) (5). In
flight, it soars elegantly with large, dark grey wings spanning
almost three metres from tip to tip, but on the ground it walks
hunched on long, gangly legs (3) (6). A fleshy, inflatable, pink
wattle dangles conspicuously below its bill, and a white collar
rings the base of its nearly featherless, pink neck (2) (3) (4).
The back and tail are dark grey, like the wings, while the
underparts are off-white (2) (4) (6). Although the natural
colour of the legs and feet is dark grey, the build up of
excrement makes them appear almost white (2) (5). Unlike the
adults, immature marabou storks have a woolly covering to the
head, and a darker plumage