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Marabou Stork
Leptoptilos crumenifer
Silhouette: Mike Keesey (vectorization) and Vaibhavcho (photography) · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCiconiiformes (Storks)
- FamilyCiconiidae (Storks)
- GenusLeptoptilos (Adjutants and Marabou)
- SpeciesLeptoptilos crumenifer (Marabou Stork)
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
1,560 Verified sightings at Kampala
15,464 In all 39 parks From 2019 to 2026
February Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Marabou Stork
The marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer) is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae native to sub-Saharan Africa. It breeds in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation, especially landfill sites. It is sometimes called the "undertaker bird" due to its shape from behind: cloak-like wings and back, skinny white legs, and sometimes a large white mass of "hair". It has often been credited with the largest wingspan of any land bird, with an average of 2.6 metres (8.5 ft) and some recorded examples of up to 3.2 metres (10 ft).
The marabou stork was formally described in 1831 by the French naturalist René Lesson. He placed it in the stork genus Ciconia and coined the binomial name Ciconia crumenifera. He specified that locality as Senegal. The species epithet means "carrying a purse around the neck". The species is now placed with the lesser adjutant and the greater adjutant in the genus Leptoptilos that Lesson had introduced at the same time he described the marabou stork. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
The common name marabou is thought to be derived from the Arabic word murābit meaning quiet or hermit-like. The species... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Marabou Stork in Kampala
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
Zoos & Centres Where Found
Closest Relatives at Kampala
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Marabou Stork in Kampala?
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Marabou Stork sighting in Kampala on a given day, based on 1,560 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 7th most-seen of the 332 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Marabou Stork in Kampala?
February
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Marabou Stork in Kampala on a given day, against about 50% in March–April and June, the lowest months. That is one of Kampala's driest months, with about 65 mm of rain against 190 mm in April.
What time of day is best to see a Marabou Stork?
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Marabou Stork sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Is Kampala the best place to see a Marabou Stork?
Yes
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Marabou Stork sightings, Kampala has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Nairobi (Kenya, about 30%) and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia, about 20%).
Which relatives of the Marabou Stork live in Kampala?
Same family: Ciconiidae
The closest relatives of the Marabou Stork that you can see in Kampala (family Ciconiidae, Storks) are African Openbilled Stork (about 50%) and Yellow-billed Stork (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
Where does the Marabou Stork sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Marabou Stork is recorded against all the birds logged in Kampala (1,560 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
