This is a marabou stork showing off his ugly face. (Photo by Will Burrard-Lucas)

Today I want to write about one of the ugliest birds in the world, the marabou stork.

Here are five interesting facts about them:

1. These large storks grow up to 1.5 metres tall and their wingspan is over 3 metres wide, which is one of the largest in the world.  The males have large air sacs on their throats that are using for calling.
2. They have disgusting eating habits, eating carrion, garbage and even poo.  They also eat a lot of live animals, including frogs, birds, fish, small mammals, insects and reptiles.
3. Like many vultures, marabou storks don’t have feathers on their head or neck so that blood doesn’t caught in it when they are eating dead animals.  Also like vultures, they have a very important role to play in the environment by cleaning up carcasses and reducing the risk of disease.
4. At breeding time, marabou storks gather in large colonies, with the females laying 2-3 eggs in large nests made out of stick in trees, on cliff edges and even on buildings.
5. Marabou storks are very common and can be found throughout the southern half of Africa, near water and around towns and cities.

I hope that you found these facts interesting and learned something new.

Are there any other interesting facts that you would like to share about marabou storks?