Like most storks, the marabou is gregarious and a
colonial breeder. In the African dry season (when food is more readily available as the pools shrink), it builds a tree nest in which two or three
eggs are laid. It is known to be quite ill-tempered. It also resembles other storks in that it is not very vocal, but indulges in bill-rattling
courtship displays. The throat sac is also used to make various noises at that time.
Breeding The marabou stork breeds in Africa south of the Sahara. In East Africa, the birds interact with humans and breed in urban areas. In southern African countries, the birds breed mainly in less populated areas. The marabou stork breeds in colonies, starting during the dry season. The female lays two to three eggs in a small nest made of sticks; eggs hatch after an incubation period of 30 days. Their young reach sexual maturity at 4 years of age. Lifespan is 43 years in captivity and 25 years in wild.
Feeding , Uganda s (
Gyps fulvus) scavenging in the
Masai Mara, Kenya The marabou stork is a frequent
scavenger, and the naked head and long neck are adaptations to this livelihood, as it is with the
vultures with which the stork often feeds. In both cases, a
feathered head would become rapidly clotted with
blood and other substances when the bird's head was inside a large corpse, and the bare head is easier to keep clean. This large and powerful bird eats mainly
carrion, scraps, and
faeces but will opportunistically eat almost any animal matter it can swallow. It occasionally eats other birds including
Quelea nestlings,
pigeons,
doves,
pelican and
cormorant chicks, and even
flamingos. During the breeding season, adults scale back on carrion and take mostly small, live prey since nestlings need this kind of food to survive. Common prey at this time may consist of fish, frogs, insects, eggs, small mammals and reptiles such as crocodile hatchlings and eggs, lizards and snakes. Though known to eat putrid and seemingly inedible foods, these storks may sometimes wash food in water to remove soil. When feeding on carrion, marabou frequently follow vultures, which are better equipped with hooked bills for tearing through carrion meat and may wait for the vultures to cast aside a piece, steal a piece of meat directly from the vulture or wait until the vultures are done. though
lions have reportedly preyed on some individuals in ambush. A number of
endoparasites have been identified in wild marabous including
Cheilospirura,
Echinura and
Acuaria nematodes,
Amoebotaenia sphenoides (Cestoda) and
Dicrocoelium hospes (Trematoda). ==Human uses==