The jabiru (Jabiru mycteria) is a large stork found in the Americas. The name of this bird comes from a Tupi–Guaraní language and means "swollen neck". The jabiru is the tallest flying bird found in South America and Central America, and it also has the second-largest wingspan, after the Andean condor.
The plumage of the jabiru is mostly white, but the head and upper neck are featherless and black, with a featherless red stretchable patch at the base. The male and the female are similar in appearance but the male is larger, which can be noticeable when the sexes are together. The beak, which measures 25-35 cm (9.8-13.8 in), is black and broad, slightly upturned, ending in a sharp point. While it can give the impression of being an ungainly bird on the ground, the jabiru is, in fact, a powerful and graceful flier.
Jabirus are found in the Americas from Mexico to Argentina, except west of the Andes. They sometimes wander into the United States, usually in Texas, but have also been reported in Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. They are most common in the Pantanal region of Brazil and the Eastern Chaco region of Paraguay. Jabirus don't migrate and live year-round in wetlands, riparian areas, marshes, flooded areas, and rice fields.
Jabirus are active during the day and are social. They live in large groups near bodies of water where they spend most of their time searching for prey. They feed in flocks and usually forage by wading in shallow water. Jabirus detect prey more through tactile sensation than vision. They feed by holding their open bill at a 45-degree angle to the water. When prey is contacted, the storks close their bill, draw it out of the water, and throw their head back to swallow. Jabirus are opportunistic feeders. In one instance, when house mice experienced a population explosion in an agricultural area, several hundred jabirus could be seen in each field feeding on the rodents (unusual for a bird that's rarely seen in large numbers anywhere). On rare occasions, jabirus have been seen attempting to steal prey from two smaller storks they co-exist with, the Wood and Maguari storks.
Jabirus are carnivores (piscivores, molluscivores, insectivores) and scavengers. They feed on frogs, fish, molluscs, snakes, snails, insects, and other invertebrates. They will even eat fresh carrion and dead fish.
Jabirus are monogamous and form pairs for life. They nest singly or in loose colonies. Jabirus build massive nest platforms made of sticks that are used repeatedly in successive seasons. The nest is built by both parents around August–September (in the Southern Hemisphere) on tall trees, and enlarged at each succeeding season, growing to several meters in diameter. Half a dozen nests may be built in close proximity, sometimes among nests of herons and other birds. The parents take turns incubating the clutch of 2-5 white eggs and are known to be more territorial than usual against other jabirus during the breeding period. Incubation usually lasts for about one month. Although the young fledge around 110 days old, they often spend around another 3 months in the care of their parents.
This species doesn't face any major threats at present.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the jabiru is 20,000-85,000 mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.
Jabirus play an important role in the ecosystem they live in. When feeding on dead fish, such as those that die during dry spells, jabirus help maintain the quality of isolated bodies of water.
