These Marabou storks will hang out near fires to catch tasty creatures fleeing from the inferno so they can have a good meal. Otherwise, these 5ft birds will happily chomp on carrion alongside their vulture, hyena and jackal contemporaries.
Although they could belong in a Batman film with their intimidating, dark looks, they’re either found on the savannah, or rummaging through our filthy piles of rubbish. Head to any rubbish dump- or even polluted city areas, for that matter- and you will find them there. No place for a bird, really. What’s worse, this bird has also been described as the “World’s Ugliest Bird”. I just don’t understand how we can call any creature, human or animal, ugly. It’s beyond me. They may look a little different, defecate on their legs to keep themselves cool, and hang out in dirty places, but that’s just the Marabou being a Marabou, and they play a crucial role in keeping our ecosystems healthy.
Here’s to their part in helping to keep our land free of disease and bacteria, and also gracing our rooftops, like this one was about to do.