This large protected wading bird occurs in Tropical East Africa; Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Madagascar. It lives in aquatic habitats, including shallow lakes, mud flats, coastal lagoons and meadows.
The Yellow-billed Stork is a medium-sized stork. Length: 97cm; average body weight for males: 2.3kg; for females: 1.9kg. It feeds on crustaceans, small fish, frogs, insects and worms. These birds have a quick muscular reflex of the neck, allowing almost all food to be caught in the water. They typically use one foot to stir up the water or mud which disturbs and flushes out the prey, then they submerge their heads quickly in the water snapping their bills on small prey.
Yellow-billed Storks are not particularly social, they like to isolate themselves in swamps and muddy rivers. They move slowly and deliberately and are extremely inactive, resting and feeding for most of the day. The female Yellow-billed Stork initiates courtship among the male yellow-billed storks. Together they build a bulky nest made of sticks, the male choosing where the nest is to be built. These nests are usually built high in trees away from predators.
A good photo of Mycteria ibis is here: http://www.whozoo.org/Intro2002/ShannonList/YBStorkPink041803_6537C.JPG
[All text: Ref (138)]
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