Jabiru

Jabiru mycteria - Jabiru d'Amérique

Systematics

Order
:
Ciconiiformes
Family
:
Ciconiidés
Genus
:
Jabiru
Species
:
mycteria

Descriptor

Lichtenstein, MHC, 1819

Biometrics

Size
: 140 cm
Wingspan
: 230 à 260 cm.
Weight
:

Geographic range

Distribution

Identification

The American Jabiru is one of a kind (Jabiru). It is one of the largest storks in the world, reaching heights of up to 1.6 meters (130-140 cm on average), having a wingspan of up to 3 meters and weighing up to 8 kg for the male. It can live up to 30 years.
It is easily recognizable, besides its large size, for its bi-colored appearance. It is all white with a bald head and neck and black. Its imposing bill, which can reach up to 35 cm, is also black and has a curled up appearance due to the concave culmen and convex gonys. The skin at the base of the neck is a vivid red over a variable extent. The legs are black. The only difference between the male and female is the size, with the male being about 25% larger than the female. The juvenile has gray feathers. Its plumage will become mostly white during the first winter, but the immature will keep brown feathers for its second year.

Subspecific information monotypic species

Foreign names

Jabiru d'Amérique,
Jabirú americano,
tuiuiú,
Jabirustorch,
jabiru,
Jabiroe,
Jabirù,
jabirustork,
Jabirustork,
jabiru veľký,
čáp jabiru,
Jabiru,
jabiru,
jabirú americà,
żabiru amerykański,
jabiru,
Бразильский ябиру,
ズグロハゲコウ,
裸颈鹳,
jabirustork,
裸頸鸛,

Voice song and cries

play
pause

The Jabiru is a silent bird, without any singing or calls. During the breeding season, or when in danger, it emits loud beak clapping in sets of 2 or 3.

Habitat

The Jabiru prefers shallow, clear waters of lakes, marshes, rivers, and floodplain savannas. It can also be seen foraging in cultivated areas, particularly rice fields. It needs large trees for nesting, such as those found along riverside forests.

Behaviour character trait

The Jabiru is a fairly sociable bird which can gather in large numbers on feeding sites. It can nest close to its fellows and even in mixed colonies. It is active only during the day. In some regions, it can undertake local migrations, depending on the rain regime.

Flight

Due to its weight, the Jabiru must run to take off. The flight is powerful with relatively slow wingbeats. It flies with the neck outstretched like most other Ciconiiformes. Its wings are all white. It uses thermals for lift.

Dietfeeding habits

The Jabiru of America mostly feeds on fish, mollusks, reptiles and amphibians that it catches in shallow rivers and lakes. It finds its prey with both its sight and touch, sweeping its beak from side to side underwater.
During droughts, it also eats dead fish that are trapped in drying ponds to prevent them from rotting. In times of scarcity, it can also feed on small mammals.

Reproduction nesting

The breeding period corresponds, in almost all of its distribution area, to the end of the dry season (August-November in the Southern hemisphere) when it is easier to fish for fish in the drying up lakes and marshes.

The Jabiru couple is joined at least for the current breeding season. The nest is built in tall trees, often more than 10 meters from the ground. It can measure up to 1.80 meters in diameter. It is made of thick branches on the outside, finer branches, twigs and aquatic vegetation on the inside. It is reused and expanded from year to year.
The female lays 3 or 4 eggs. Both parents are involved in incubation, which lasts 60 days. The chicks are also fed by both parents and leave the nest after 3 months. After the departure from the nest, the parents continue to take care of it for some time. Given the duration of reproduction, most couples reproduce only one year out of two.

Geographic range

The Jabiru is a Neotropical bird. It can be found from the extreme south of Mexico to the north of Argentina. The largest numbers are seen in the Brazilian Pantanal and the Paraguayan Chaco.