Marabou Stork

Leptoptilos crumenifer

Not pretty, but effective. The undertaker bird gets the job done without complaint.

Population: Roughly 200,000-500,000 individuals globally (2006 estimate, uncertain); overall population trend is decreasing (driven by rapid declines in West Africa), even though East & southern African populations, especially urban ones, are stable or increasing
Habitat: Wetlands, savanna, grasslands, and both wet and arid open country; frequently found near human settlements, rubbish dumps, and abattoirs in towns and cities
Fun fact: The Marabou Stork is nicknamed the "undertaker bird" for its hunched posture and dark cloak-like wings, and it has one of the largest wingspans of any living bird, with well-documented individuals exceeding 3 meters (max recorded ~3.2 m).
Range: Sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal and Guinea-Bissau east through the Sahel to Sudan and Eritrea, and south through East Africa into southern Africa; most abundant and common-to-abundant in East Africa (e.g. >1,200 breeding pairs supported by waste sites around Kampala, Uganda); range has contracted in West Africa (no longer breeds in Mali or Nigeria)
Diet: Opportunistic scavenger — mainly carrion, offal, and refuse (including landfill waste); also takes small live prey such as fish, frogs, insects, small mammals, reptiles, and occasionally bird chicks or eggs
Size: 1.5 m
Wingspan: 2.6 m
Lifespan: 25 years

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