Yellow Billed Stork (Mycteria ibis)
Yellow Billed Stork Latin name (Mycteria ibis) Distribution East Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Madagascar. Habitat Aquatic habitats including coastal lagoons, mud flats and shallow lakes. Diet Invertebrates, fish, frogs and crustaceans. Gestation 3 - 5 eggs, which hatch after 30 days. Longevity Up to 40 years in captivity. Status in the wild Protected as part of an European Stud book General characteristics Despite it's Latin name, this bird is not part of the Ibis family. It was named before it was discovered that the bird was part of the stork family. However, it has all the characteristics of a stork, being a very large bird with long legs, a long bill and a straight upright stance. Storks also have long, broad wings and are very strong fliers. However, this particular stork has one extra remarkable adaptation to its way of life. It has the quickest muscular reflex of the neck of any animal in the world, allowing it to catch almost all food that touches its bill. This is very important to a bird that uses only touch to catch its prey, rather than sight like many other birds do. It will use its feet to stir up the mud and scare out any small animals it might like to eat. Again as they touch the bill it snaps them up. Although this bird is not listed as endangered, it is still at risk of habitat destruction, as it's natural environments are destroyed to make room for other things. Being part of a European Breeding Programme will help ensure the storks future in the wild.
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Photo credit: © Élan Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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