Saddle-billed Stork

Saddle-billed storks mainly eat fish, as well as frogs, snakes, small crustaceans, small mammals, young birds, and insects.

At the Zoo, storks eat a specialized pellet made for carnivorous birds, as well as fish and rodents. They may also predate on insects or small animals they find in the Savanna. 

This species lives in many areas south of the Sahara Desert in Africa, including Cameroon, Ghana, South Africa, Namibia, Angola and Kenya. 

Saddle-billed storks prefer freshwater wetlands, like mud flats, marshes, and flood plains, with tall trees for roosting and nesting. 

Eggs and chicks can be easy targets for predators, such as eagles and other large birds of prey. However, adult birds are usually big enough to protect themselves or fly away if they sense danger.

The species faces threats from human activities that disturb their nesting areas, as well as the loss of wetlands caused by changes in land use, climate change, and pesticide pollution.

Males have brown eyes, while females have yellow eyes. Both males and females have two small yellow wattles, which are pieces of skin that hang under their bills. However, the males' wattles are usually larger. They have white bodies, black wings with white feathers on the ends, and long black necks. Their beaks are 13 inches long and curve upward, with a red color at the base and tip, and black in the middle. This long beak helps them catch slippery aquatic prey. On top of their beaks is a yellow shield made of soft skin, which is how they get their name. Their legs are black, with pink joints and feet, and they have large toes that spread out to help them walk on soft ground and through vegetation near water.

When chicks first hatch, they have soft, white downy feathers. As they grow, their head, neck, and back feathers turn light gray. By the time they are ready to fly, they will have black tips on their wings. Storks reach their full size by their first birthday, but they don’t get their adult feathers until they are two years old.

Pairs are believed to mate for life. They usually breed at the end of the rainy season when there is plenty of food. To strengthen their connection, both partners perform beautiful courtship dances. These dances involve clapping their bills, stretching their wings, and bending their necks to touch their backs.

Together, the male and female build a nest that can be up to 6 ½ feet wide, high among the tree branches. The female lays between one and five eggs, with the average being two to three eggs. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs. Along with sitting on them, they also spit water on the eggs to keep them at the right temperature and humidity.

The eggs take about 30 to 35 days to hatch. When the chicks are born, they weigh about three ounces and can grow as much as 30% each day. They leave the nest, or fledge, in 70 to 100 days. It takes them about a year to reach their full size, and they become mature in three to five years.

Saddle bill storks are not known to vocalize past chick age. They communicate by clapping their bills and through body postures.

Saddle-billed storks are not migratory, but they may move short distances in search of food or more suitable water sources. Pairs roost safely overnight in trees.