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1.5 m, 6-7 kg. A huge, unmistakeable, scavenging stork, with a bare, flecked head and bulging throat pouch. Sexes alike in plumage colouration, but male larger. Whitish ruff surrounds the neck, which has a large, inflatable gular sac. Tail, back and flight feathers glossy blue-black. Underparts off-white. Massive bill horn-coloured to pinkish. Eyes sepia to greyish brown. Legs and feet grey-black, but often appear white in the field due to excrement whitewash (Anderson 2005).
Marabou Storks are scavengers that feed on a wide range of food resources, including carrion from large mammal carcasses, aquatic vertebrates and human waste (Pomeroy 1975). Despite its extensive distribution, the species breeds only at a limited number of localities throughout its range (Monadjem et al. 2008). It is a monogamous, colonial nester, typically numbering 10-30 pairs per colony (Anderson 2005). Growth rate of nestlings and breeding success have been summarised for the Swaziland population (Monadjem et al. 2012).
SANBI is currently in the process of adding more information about species to this database.
