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Marabou Stork

Liz Bonnin presents the gaunt undertaker-looking marabou stork in Africa.

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Liz Bonnin presents the gaunt undertaker-looking marabou stork in Africa. It is not very scientific to describe a bird as ugly, but the marabou stork would not win any prizes for beauty or elegance. This bulky stork, with a funereal air, has a fleshy inflatable sac under its throat which conspicuously wobbles as it probes African rubbish dumps for carrion. Seemingly more at home amongst the melee of vultures and jackals squabbling over a carcass, it is known in some areas as the undertaker bird. But, in the air the marabou stork is an elegant sight. It has one of the largest wingspans of any bird, up to 3 metres across. Soaring effortlessly on these broad wings the storks scan the sub-Saharan landscape for food. Marabou storks are doing well, thanks to our throwaway society and they've learned to connect people with rubbish – a salutary association one might say.

Producer : Andrew Dawes

Available now

2 minutes

Last on

Mon 14 Aug 2023 05:58

Marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumeniferus)

Webpage image courtesy of David Tipling / naturepl.com.

© David Tipling / naturepl.com

Broadcasts

  • Thu 11 Dec 2014 05:58
  • Wed 28 Oct 2015 05:58
  • Thu 18 Jul 2019 05:58
  • Tue 20 Oct 2020 05:58
  • Tue 30 Aug 2022 05:58
  • Mon 14 Aug 2023 05:58

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