Saddle-billed Stork

Scientific Name: Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis

Population Estimate: 1-25K

Range / Habitat: Wetlands throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

Field Notes: Very tall stork with white and black plumage, black head and neck, and distinctive red and black bill as above.

Personal Notes: Seen at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Painted Stork

Scientific Name: Mycteria leucocephala

Population Estimate: 25K, Near Threatened status

Range / Habitat: Wet areas in mainland southeast Asia.

Field Notes: Large white stork with long, decurved yellow bill, yellow face, pink tertial feathers. Unmistakable in range.

Personal Notes: Seen at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Abdim's Stork

Scientific Name: Ciconia abdimii

Population Estimate: 300-600K

Range / Habitat: Open, grassland habitats throughout sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Arabia.

Field Notes: Smallest stork with brown / grey head and back, white belly, blue face mask.

Personal Notes: Seen at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Marabou Stork

Scientific Name: Leptoptilos crumeniferus

Population Estimate: 200-500K

Range / Habitat: Found in both wet and arid habitats, often near people, throughout sub-Saharan Africa

Field Notes: Large stork with one of greatest wingspans of any bird. Bare head and neck as it is a scavenger. Black back, white underparts. Unmistakable in range.

Personal Notes: Seen at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Wood Stork

Scientific Name: Mycteria americana

Population Estimate: 38K - 130K

Range / Habitat: Freshwater, brackish and salt marshes, often wooded. Ranges from western Mexico and southeastern US down to western Ecuador and northern Argentina.

Field Notes: Head and neck naked. Black primaries and secondaries prominent in flight, but covered by white when standing as below. Unmistakable in range.

Personal Notes:

Jabiru

Scientific Name: Jabiru mycteria

Population Estimate: 10K-25K, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Locally common in parts of the Yucatan, Belize, Guatemala. Resident down through South America with largest populations in Brazil and Paraguay. Prefers wetlands and seasonally flooded grasslands.

Field Notes: The largest flying bird in the Americas, males can stand 1.5m. Unmistakable.

Personal Notes: We were fortunate to witness this breeding pair constructing a nest at Aquacate in Belize. There had not been been a breeding pair at this site for several years.

White Stork

Scientific Name: Ciconia ciconia

Population Estimate: 500K

Range / Habitat: Breeds on high structures in parts of Europe and western Asia. Migrates to grassland in sub-Saharan Africa in the winter.

Field Notes: Large, mostly white stork with black feathers on its trailing edge in flight. Bill and legs are bright orange.

Personal Notes: Top photo is a breeding pair seen in Donana National Park in Spain. Bottom photo taken at Disney's Animal Kingdom.