Saddle-billed Stork

Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis - The Saddle-billed Stork

At five feet tall, the Saddle-billed Stork is the tallest stork in the world, and certainly one of the most strikingly beautiful. It is a wading bird with black and white plumage and a long, laterally compressed bill. The head, back, neck, wings and tail are black, while the rest of the body and the primary flight feathers are a crisp white.

Did you know? The male Saddle-billed Stork have a dark eye with two small yellow wattles at the base of the bill, while females have a yellow eye.

The bill has large red and black stripes, and the black legs have a red garter and red feet. There is a bright-yellow leathery saddle of skin at the top of the bill. Males have black eyes and are larger than the females, which have yellow eyes.

Saddle-billed Stork are territorial birds that live either on their own or in a pair. It is usually shy and a little recluse. These birds will not migrate, but may move territory in response to a shortage of habitat or food. When in flight, they extend their necks to full length, drooping their heads slightly under the weight of the bill. This gives them a rather unique appearance.

Quick Facts

Size

Range mass: 5 to 7 kg (males are slightly larger than females).
Range length: 150 cm.
Range wingspan: 250 - 275 cm.

Habitat

The Saddle-billed Stork occupies vast open spaces along wetlands and bodies of water so that they have easy access to a food source. There are trees scattered throughout their optimal natural habitat.

Distribution

This bird can be found throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Its range extends from Sudan and Ethiopia to South Africa, including several West African countries.

In South Africa, it can be seen in the beautiful Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the Kalahari of the Northern Cape, the Augrabies Falls National Park, and the Kruger National Park (about 5.5 hours from Johannesburg).

Diet

The Saddle-billed Stork feeds mainly on the fish species that are available in its habitat. It will also dine on the crabs and frogs in the water, as well as other small birds and reptiles (albeit less frequently).

Socialisation

These storks are most frequently found in pairs and are very territorial. They communicate by clattering their bill at the nest occasionally, but are otherwise rather quiet. The Saddle-billed Stork pairs for life, and will reuse their nest.

Reproduction

The male and the female birds work together to construct their nest. They will choose the top boughs of a tree that is situated near to wetlands as the safest spot to hatch and rear their young. This is no mean feat as the nest has to be rather large, since it needs to accommodate the whole bird in a sitting position.

The female stork lays between one and five eggs.

The chicks are fed by both parents, and reach fledgling age at between 58 and 100 days old.

Incubation

Both members of the pair incubate the eggs for between 32 and 35 days.

Life Expectancy

The longest lifespan of a Saddle-billed Stork in captivity is just over 30 years.

Predators

Saddle-billed Storks are officially Endangered in South Africa, but face fewer threats in other countries. At present, the major danger they face is the damage being done to the wetlands in the name of urbanisation and development. When the wetlands are done away with or polluted, these birds lose their source of food and water, and their habitat.

References

Krugerpark; Birdlife International.