Marabou Stork Skulls Replicas Models

Description

Marabou Stork Skulls Replicas Models measures 14.1 inches. The Marabou Stork Skulls Replicas Models is Museum quality polyurethane resins made in USA. California Academy of Sciences specimen.

The marabou stork or Leptoptilos crumenifer is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It is sometimes called the “undertaker bird” due to its shape from behind: cloak-like wings and back, skinny white legs, and sometimes a large white mass of “hair”. The marabou is unmistakable due to its size, bare head and neck, black back, and white underparts. It has a huge bill, a pink gular sac at its throat.

The marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer) is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It breeds in Africa south of the Sahara, in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation, especially landfill sites.

The marabou stork is a massive bird: large specimens are thought to reach a height of 60 in. and a weight of 20 lbs. A wingspan of 12 ft was accepted by Fisher and Peterson, who ranked the species as having the largest wing-spread of any living bird. Females are smaller than males. Bill length can range from 10.4 to 13.8 in.

The marabou is unmistakable due to its size, bare head and neck, black back, and white underparts. It has a huge bill, a pink gular sac at its throat, a neck ruff, and black legs and wings.

This large and powerful bird eats mainly carrion. It occasionally eats other birds including quelea nestlings, pigeons, doves, pelican and cormorant chicks, and even flamingos. During the breeding season, adults scale back on carrion and take mostly small, live prey since nestlings need this kind of food to survive. Common prey at this time may consist of fish, frogs, insects, eggs, small mammals and reptiles such as crocodile hatchlings and eggs, and lizards and snakes. Though known to eat putrid and seemingly inedible foods, these storks may sometimes wash food in water to remove soil.

Additional information