The Saddle-billed Stork is a large wading bird resident in sub-Saharan Africa from Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya south to South Africa, and in The Gambia, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Chad in west Africa.
This Stork breeds in forested waterlands and other floodlands in tropical lowland. It builds a large, deep stick nest in a tree, laying one or two white eggs weighing about 146g each. It does not form breeding colonies, and is usually found alone or in pairs.
Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis averages 150cm in height and has a 270cm wingspan. Females are distinctly smaller than the males however both sexes are spectacularly plumaged, featuring the vibrant red and yellow "saddle" at the top of its bill. These Storks are silent except for bill-clattering at the nest.
In Ancient Egyptian culture, the Saddle-billed Stork is represented in a hieroglyph that had the phonetic value ba.
[All text: Ref (69)]
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