Fun Yellow-billed Stork Facts For Kids

There are 19 species of stork birds in the world. Yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) is one among the stork family.

Yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) is seen in wetlands, shallow water, lakes, swamps, lagoons, and ricefields in Africa, East Africa, Sahara, Morocco, Egypt, and Tunisia. Yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) is classified as the Least Concern species by the International Union For Conservation Of Nature IUCN.

Yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) is a carnivorous bird that feeds on fish, worms, frogs, small birds. Yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) feed only on fishes in freshwater bodies.

Yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) are distinguished by their bright yellow bill. Juveniles of these birds are duller in appearance and develop coloration over a period of time. They face threats from predators like cheetahs, lions, leopards.

Apart from this, they face threats from humans primarily owing to poaching activities and habitat reduction. For more relatable content, check out these fact files on the wood stork and stork.

Yellow-billed Stork Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a yellow-billed stork?

The yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) is classified under kingdom Animalia and order Ciconiiformes.

What class of animal does a yellow-billed stork belong to?

The yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) stork is a type of bird that belongs to the class Aves, family Ciconiidae, and genus Mycteria.

How many yellow-billed storks are there in the world?

The yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) exact population size is not evaluated however, their populations are expected to decline in the coming years due to habitat loss and other illegal activities.

Where does a yellow-billed stork live?

The yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) live in the range wetlands, shallow lakes, swamps, lagoons, and ricefields in Africa, South Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, East Africa, Sahara, Morocco, Egypt, and Tunisia.

What is a yellow-billed stork's habitat?

The yellow-billed stork habitat range constitutes wetlands, shallow lakes, swamps, lagoons, and rice fields. They reside close to regions where they can access their food easily. They are known to migrate partially within their habitat range.

Who do yellow-billed storks live with?

The yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) usually reside in groups or in colonies. A group of 20 individuals may nest close together in any part of the colony.

How long does a yellow-billed stork live?

Yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) lifespan is estimated at about 19 years in captivity. A white stork once lived 39 years.

How do they reproduce?

The yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) begins to breed towards the end of the rainy season. These birds reach sexual maturity in three years. They prefer breeding in times when food is abundant. Breeding occurs in colonies on trees. Although these are relatively large birds, they all nest at some distance.

Both adults are equally involved in building their nests. Males and females reproduce sexually. Post mating, the female lays two to four eggs. The incubation period lasts for 30 days.

The young chicks hatch and are dependent on their parents for food and shelter. Fledging occurs from 50-55 days. Their nests are not reused since most other birds destroy their nests. They may breed multiple times throughout their life.

What is their conservation status?

The yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) conservation status is classified as Least Concern species by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Yellow-billed Stork Fun Facts

What do yellow-billed storks look like?

The yellow-billed stork scientific name is Mycteria ibis. They have an overall pink-gray to white plumage with black flight feathers and a tail. They have long necks and are greyish white. They have red facial skin extending beyond the eyes.

They have dark brown eyes. They have a bright yellow bill which is thick at the base and curved at the tip. Males and females are similar in coloration however, males tend to be larger as compared to females.

How cute are they?

The yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) are cute birds. However, they are not ideally sociable, and it's best to observe them from a distance. The yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) can only be spotted in regions they are native to. They are clever and intelligent birds and hold great cultural and historic value in different parts of the world.

How do they communicate?

The yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) is usually silent except during breeding season, where it produces a long nasal sound like a low grunt, squeaky hinge, and whining calls around the best. Yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) accompanies its display at the nest.

How big is a yellow-billed stork?

Yellow-billed stork height is 37.4-41.3 in (95-105 cm), which is five times bigger than little blue heron, a similar-looking bird which is 25-30 in (63.5- 76.2 cm).

How fast can a yellow-billed stork fly?

The yellow-billed stork's exact flying speed is not known. Yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) are partially migratory birds and hence have moderately good speeds.

How much does a yellow-billed stork weigh?

The male yellow-billed stork weighs 5 lb (2300 g) and the female 4.2 lb (1900 g). Males tend to be larger compared to females.

What are the male and female names of the species?

Yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) male and female are not addressed differently. They differ in size. Males are usually larger compared to females. They also differ in reproductive functions.

What would you call a baby yellow-billed stork?

Baby yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) can be called a nestling. The juvenile is dependent on its parents and resides in the nest during the breeding season. The nestling is duller and paler in appearance as compared to adult birds. The juvenile consumes the same food as its parents.

What do they eat?

These birds of the world consume a carnivorous diet. They prey on fish, worms, frogs, small birds. They prefer to prey on freshwater fish in order to eat.

They require most food during breeding season when they have had to feed juveniles in the nest as well. Predators who prey on these species include cheetah, lion, and leopards. They might also consume eggs from a different nest if they find no substitute.

Are they dangerous?

These birds of the world are not dangerous. However, it's safe to maintain a distance from these species while observing them in the wild. Yellow-billed storks prey only on small fishes, worms, frogs, small birds. These storks are closely related to herons, spoonbills, and ibises.

Would they make a good pet?

Yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) is ideally wild birds and hard to spot near human settlements. Yellow-billed storks require appropriate habitat to live and breed in a nest.

If you wish to adopt bird species, you could consider a parrot bird or a parakeet bird who are the more sociable birds of the world. These birds of the world are found in most regions of the world.

Did you know...

Among the national birds of the world, the white storks are the national bird of Ukraine. They represent family, patriotism, and loyalty.

Storks cannot sing like other bird species. Storks usually hiss or screech. Storks are known to clatter their bills together.

Some storks are like garbage men. They pick up dead carcasses or fish by feeding on them and trying to keep their area clean.

A group of storks can be called a muster of storks and a phalanx of storks.

The legend about storks bringing babies began in Victorian times. This was a usual response from parents to children when their parents were where they came from. This was how storks became a symbol of fertility and good luck.

Along the same lines is an animated movie titled 'storks' was produced in 2016. Storks delivered babies to families around the world. If you are interested, you could watch the film online.

Different types of stork

There are 19 species of stork birds in the world. The list includes white stork, painted stork, wood stork, yellow-billed stork, among others. They all differ slightly in their appearance and coloration and are endemic to different regions of the world.

All bird species are migratory. The yellow-billed storks are distinguished by their yellow bill. Lesser stork is the smallest stork, and the biggest stork is the Marabou stork.

Are yellow-billed storks endangered?

No, the yellow-billed stork bird is not endangered. This bird is classified as the Least Concern species by the IUCN. They are semi-migratory; hence it's difficult to spot them within their range for the most part. They are seldom seen near human settlements. Storks face major threats from habitat loss and illegal activities. Have you ever seen a stork?

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Mississippi kite or golden eagle facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable yellow-billed stork coloring pages.