Yellow-billed Stork

Yellow-billed Stork

Mycteria ibis

Silhouette: Mathieu Basille · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Gonarezhou National Park

In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%

76 Verified sightings at Gonarezhou National Park From 2019 to 2026
12,256 In all 38 parks
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Yellow-billed Stork

The yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) is a large African stork species in the family Ciconiidae. It is widespread south of the Sahara and also occurs in Madagascar. The yellow-billed stork lies within the genus Mycteria along with three other extant species: the wood stork (M. americana), the milky stork (M. cinerea) and the painted stork (M. leucocephala). Species within Mycteria display remarkable homologies in behavior (e.g., feeding and courtship) and morphology, with relatively few species-specific variations.

[[File:]] This medium-sized stork stands 90–105 cm (35–41 in) tall. Its body is white with a short black tail that is glossed green and purple when freshly moulted. The bill is deep yellow, slightly decurved at the end and with a rounder cross-section than in other stork species outside the Mycteria. Feathers extend onto the head and neck just behind the eyes, with the face and forehead being covered by deep red skin. Both sexes are similar in appearance, but the male is larger and has a slightly longer heavier bill. Males and females weigh approximately 2.3 kg (5.1 lb) and 1.9 kg (4.2 lb) respectively.

Colouration becomes... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:39

Kenya · 1997

© Fernand DEROUSSEN · XC131912 · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

Call0:51

Senegal · 2016

© Bram Piot · XC337857 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~70%
2 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~60%
3 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~50%
4 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~50%
5 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
~50%
6 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~40%
7 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~40%
8 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~40%
9 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~30%
10 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~30%
11 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~30%
12 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
13 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
14 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~30%
15 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~30%
16 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
17 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
18 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
19 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
20 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
21 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
22 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
23 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
24 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~20%
25 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
26 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
27 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
28 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
29 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~10%
30 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
31 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
32 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
33 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
34 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
35 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
36 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
37 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
38 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kigali 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~30%
2 Dar es-Salaam 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
3 Mombasa 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
4 Maputo 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~10%
5 Kampala 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
6 Cape Town 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
7 Nairobi 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
8 Durban 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Disney's Animal Kingdom 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 Pairi Daiza 🇧🇪 Belgium In captivity
3 Prague Zoo 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
4 SeaWorld Abu Dhabi 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates In captivity
5 Dresden Zoo 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
6 Zlín-Lešná Zoo 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
7 Dvůr Králové Zoo 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
8 Zoo Pilsen 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
9 Réserve africaine de Sigean 🇫🇷 France In captivity
10 Parc des oiseaux 🇫🇷 France In captivity
11 Zoo de Doué 🇫🇷 France In captivity
12 Abilene Zoological Gardens 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
13 Sharjah Safari Park Office 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates In captivity
14 San Diego Zoo Safari Park 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
15 Beijing Wildlife Park 🇨🇳 China In captivity
16 Al Ain Zoo 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates In captivity
17 Safaripark Beekse Bergen 🇳🇱 Netherlands In captivity
18 Living Desert Zoo and Gardens 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
19 Bronx Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
20 Kansas City Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
21 Badoca Safari Park 🇵🇹 Portugal In captivity
22 Brookfield Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
23 Chimelong Safari Park 🇨🇳 China In captivity
24 Beijing Zoo 🇨🇳 China In captivity
25 Shanghai Zoo 🇨🇳 China In captivity
26 Shenzhen Safari Park 🇨🇳 China In captivity
27 江苏淹城野生动物世界 🇨🇳 China In captivity
28 Oakland Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
29 Phoenix Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
30 Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
31 İzmir Wildlife Park 🇹🇷 Türkiye In captivity
32 Selwo Aventura 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
33 Louisville Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
34 Luisenpark 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
35 Guangzhou Zoo 🇨🇳 China In captivity
36 Berlin Zoological Garden 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
37 Temaikén 🇦🇷 Argentina In captivity
38 Franklin Park Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
39 Night Safari 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
40 ZooTampa 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
41 Singapore Zoo 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
42 碧峰峡野生动物世界 🇨🇳 China In captivity
43 Houston Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
44 Tierpark Hagenbeck 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
45 Hanover Zoo 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
46 Bird Paradise 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
47 Terra Natura Murcia 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
48 Rainforest Wild Asia 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
49 Seville Zoo 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
50 Shoushan Zoo 🇹🇼 Taiwan In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Yellow-billed Stork in Gonarezhou National Park?

Likely

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-billed Stork sighting in Gonarezhou National Park on a given day, based on 76 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 47th most-seen of the 233 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 Yellow-billed Stork in Gonarezhou National Park?

November

In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-billed Stork in Gonarezhou National Park on a given day, against about 30% in May and July, the lowest months. March–April, June and December–January have too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Yellow-billed Stork?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-billed 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.

Which relatives of the Yellow-billed Stork live in Gonarezhou National Park?

Same family: Ciconiidae

The closest relatives of the Yellow-billed Stork that you can see in Gonarezhou National Park (family Ciconiidae, Storks) are Saddle-billed Stork (about 60%), African Openbilled Stork (about 50%) and Marabou Stork (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Yellow-billed Stork sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Yellow-billed Stork is recorded against all the birds logged in Gonarezhou National Park (76 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.

← Back to Gonarezhou National Park