African Openbilled Stork

African Openbilled Stork

Anastomus lamelligerus

Silhouette: PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Lagos

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%

5 Verified sightings at Lagos
7,663 In all 39 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the African Openbilled Stork

The African openbill (Anastomus lamelligerus) is a species of stork from the family Ciconiidae. It is widely distributed in Sub-Saharan Africa and western regions of Madagascar. This species is considered common to locally abundant across its range, although it has a patchy distribution. Scientists distinguish between the two sub-species due to the more pronounced longitudinal ridges on the bills of adult A. l. madagascariensis. The Asian openbill (Anastomus oscitans) found in Asia is the African openbill's closest relative. The two species share the same notably large bill of a peculiar shape that gives them their name.

The African openbill is a stork measuring 80–94 cm (31–37 in) and weighing 1–1.3 kg (2.2–2.9 lb). The species does not exhibit any major sexual dimorphism, although the males are slightly larger than the females and have a longer and heavier bill. The adult bill is between 135–196 mm (5.3–7.7 in) in length, brownish in color and has a gap between the upper and lower mandible. This gap is non... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call1:00

Zambia · 2007

© Derek Solomon · XC84191 · CC BY-NC-ND 2.5

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~80%
2 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
~50%
3 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~50%
4 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~40%
5 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~40%
6 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~40%
7 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~40%
8 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~40%
9 Selous Game Reserve 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~30%
10 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
11 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~30%
12 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
13 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
14 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
15 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~20%
16 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
17 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~20%
18 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
19 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
20 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
21 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
22 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
23 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
24 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~10%
25 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
26 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
27 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
28 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
29 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
30 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
31 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
32 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
33 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
34 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
35 Ankarafantsika National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
<5%
36 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
37 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
38 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
39 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Mombasa 🇰🇪 Kenya
~50%
2 Kampala 🇺🇬 Uganda
~50%
3 Kigali 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~30%
4 Brazzaville 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo
~30%
5 Maputo 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~30%
6 N'Djamena 🇹🇩 Chad
~30%
7 Dar es-Salaam 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
8 Bujumbura 🇧🇮 Burundi
~10%
9 Lagos 🇳🇬 Nigeria
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 San Diego Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 Prague Zoo 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
3 Dresden Zoo 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
4 Zlín-Lešná Zoo 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
5 Dvůr Králové Zoo 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
6 Zoo Pilsen 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
7 Réserve africaine de Sigean 🇫🇷 France In captivity
8 Parc des oiseaux 🇫🇷 France In captivity
9 San Diego Zoo Safari Park 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
10 Wrocław Zoological Garden 🇵🇱 Poland In captivity
11 San Francisco Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
12 ZooTampa 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
13 Cologne Zoological Garden 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
14 Tiergarten Wels 🇦🇹 Austria In captivity
15 Bali Bird Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
16 Africarium 🇵🇱 Poland In captivity
17 Rákosův pavilon 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
18 Velemlokárium 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
19 Cologne Zoo Aquarium 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
20 terrarium ogrodu zoologicznego we Wrocławiu 🇵🇱 Poland In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an African Openbilled Stork in Lagos?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Openbilled Stork sighting in Lagos on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 66th most-seen of the 72 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an African Openbilled Stork in Lagos?

July

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an African Openbilled Stork in Lagos on a given day, against under 5% in December to May, the lowest months. That is one of Lagos's wettest months, with about 210 mm of rain against 25 mm in December. June, August–September and November have too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see an African Openbilled Stork?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Openbilled 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 Lagos the best place to see an African Openbilled Stork?

9th of 9

Of the 9 cities where we can rate African Openbilled Stork sightings, Lagos ranks 9th at about 10%. The best odds are in Mombasa (Kenya, about 50%), Kampala (Uganda, about 50%) and Kigali (Rwanda, about 30%).

Where does the African Openbilled Stork sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the African Openbilled Stork is recorded against all the birds logged in Lagos (5 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.

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