- Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis
Identification
150 cm high. The male is larger and heavier than the female
- Iridescent black head, neck, back, wings, and tail
- White body and primaries
- Red bill
- Very large
- Black band
- Yellow frontal shield (the “saddle”)
- Black legs and feet
- Pink "knees"
Sexes similar
Female has a yellow iris
Male iris is brown, small yellow wattles at base of bill
Juveniles: brownish-grey plumage
Distribution
Photo by Patrick Cloete
Punda Maria, Kruger National Park, South Africa December 2005
Sub-Saharan Africa
Western Africa: Senegambia, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, DRC and Angola
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi
Southern Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal and Swaziland
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Dams and large rivercourses, flood plains, wetlands and swamps.
Behaviour
Breeding
It builds a large, deep stick nest in a tree. The 1 or 2 white eggs are incubated for 30-35 days; the chicks fledge 70 - 100 days later.
Diet
The diet includes fish, frogs and crabs, but also on young birds, and other land vertebrates.
Female
Photo by nkgray
Letaba, Kruger National Park, South Africa October 2006
Click image for larger version
Juvenile
Photo by TwoBoy
Kruger National Park, South Africa, October 2004
Click image for larger version
Juvenile
Photo by Johannes69
Okavango Delta, Botswana, October 2012
Click image for larger version
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Avibase
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Saddle-billed Stork. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 18 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Saddle-billed_Stork
