Mycteria ibis
Silhouette: Mathieu Basille · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~80%
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 →
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 3 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 4 | SeaWorld Abu Dhabi | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 5 | Dresden Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Zlín-Lešná Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 7 | Dvůr Králové Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 8 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 9 | Réserve africaine de Sigean | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Parc des oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 11 | Zoo de Doué | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 12 | Abilene Zoological Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Sharjah Safari Park Office | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 14 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Beijing Wildlife Park | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 16 | Al Ain Zoo | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 17 | Safaripark Beekse Bergen | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 18 | Living Desert Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Kansas City Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Badoca Safari Park | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 22 | Brookfield Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 23 | Chimelong Safari Park | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 24 | Beijing Zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 25 | Shanghai Zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 26 | Shenzhen Safari Park | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 27 | 江苏淹城野生动物世界 | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 28 | Oakland Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 29 | Phoenix Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 30 | Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 31 | İzmir Wildlife Park | 🇹🇷 Türkiye | |
| 32 | Selwo Aventura | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 33 | Louisville Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 34 | Luisenpark | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 35 | Guangzhou Zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 36 | Berlin Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 37 | Temaikén | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 38 | Franklin Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 39 | Night Safari | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 40 | ZooTampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 41 | Singapore Zoo | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 42 | 碧峰峡野生动物世界 | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 43 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 44 | Tierpark Hagenbeck | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 45 | Hanover Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 46 | Bird Paradise | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 47 | Terra Natura Murcia | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 48 | Rainforest Wild Asia | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 49 | Seville Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 50 | Shoushan Zoo | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-billed Stork sighting in Ruaha National Park on a given day, based on 65 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 75th most-seen of the 276 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-billed Stork in Ruaha National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January–February and May–June, the lowest months. That is one of Ruaha National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 180 mm in January.
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.
17th of 38
Of the 38 parks where we can rate Yellow-billed Stork sightings, Ruaha National Park ranks 17th at about 20%. The best odds are in Lake Nakuru National Park (Kenya, about 70%), South Luangwa National Park (Zambia, about 60%) and Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Ciconiidae
The closest relatives of the Yellow-billed Stork that you can see in Ruaha National Park (family Ciconiidae, Storks) are Saddle-billed Stork (about 40%), African Openbilled Stork (about 20%) and Marabou Stork (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-billed Stork is recorded against all the birds logged in Ruaha National Park (65 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.
