Animalia Life

Jabiru mycteria
SUBFAMILY
Tribe Leptoptilini
TAXONOMY
Ciconia mycteria Lichtenstein, 1819. Monotypic.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: American jabiru, jabiru stork; French: Jabiru d’Amйrique; German: Jabiru; Spanish: Jabirъ Americano.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Length 48–55 in (122–140 cm), wingspan 90–102 in (230–260 cm); weight 17.6 lb (8 kg). Mostly white with dark bill and neck, colored red at base.
DISTRIBUTION
Tropical Central and South America to northern Argentina.
HABITAT
Freshwater wetlands.
BEHAVIOR
May retract neck in flight due to having heavy bill that, if outstretched, would cause problems with balance.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Fish and other aquatic animals. Uses both sight and touch to locate prey. Will splash bill in shallow water to disturb prey prior to capture.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Nests alone or in small groups in trees. Nests are large platforms of sticks and mud, may be built upon season after season. Clutch size three to four eggs, fledging 80–95 days.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Hunted for food in some areas.

Other popular Animals