Yellow-billed Stork

Mycteria ibis

Inland waters. Told by yellow bill plus red face and legs.

Not Endemic

Description

Fairly common to locally common resident and visitor. Told by white plumage, yellow bill and red face, forehead and legs. When breeding, white plumage has a pink tinge and red face becomes more vivid. Small groups or large flocks occur on floodpans, large rivers, lakes and estuaries, usually near woodlands. Feeds by wading constantly and probing with the bill immersed and partly open.

Quick Facts

Bird Family

Large to very large long-legged and long-necked birds with straight, stout bills. Plumage mostly black and white; bills and legs whitish, reddish or dark. Storks walk with a stately gait and frequently rest on the ground with the lower parts of their legs stretched forward. In flight, the neck is stretched out (unlike herons, which fly with retracted necks) and the legs may trail down at a slight angle to the body. Most storks sometimes soar to great heights during the heat of the day; many are communal in habit and most frequent water or damp places to some extent. Diet ranges from large insects, reptiles, frogs and other waterlife to carrion in one species. They make guttural sounds and hisses at nests, and bill-clapping is used as a greeting between pairs. The nests are large stick structures placed in trees or on rocks, cliffs or the ground.