Jabiru Gallery

Jabiru mycteria

The Birds of the World website introduces the Jabiru with this descriptive information:  The Jabiru is a huge, prehistoric-looking stork of wetlands in Neotropical lowlands. It has a massive black bill that curves slightly upwards, a bare black neck with a large red patch at the base, and entirely white plumage. Other large South American storks have black in the wings. It feeds on all manner of aquatic animals, including fish, frogs, snakes, insects, young caimans and crocodiles, crabs, and turtles. Feeding birds move about actively in shallow water, splashing with their bill to flush prey, which they then locate using either sight or touch. Particularly in the dry season, it often gathers in groups at shrinking pools, sometimes acting cooperatively to herd fish into the shallows. The huge nest is placed in the crown of a large tree and is used for consecutive years, each year growing in size and sometimes attaining a diameter of over 2 meters. The Jabiru is found in regions with extensive swamps or marshes from Mexico south to northern Argentina. While not migratory, it does disperse seasonally, and sometimes is found some distance from its usual range.

I met my first Jabiru on the morning of Tuesday, August 22, 2023.  Our Jeff Parker Tour group was headed to Fazenda Santa Tereza for a couple of days of watching birds and wildlife in the Pantanal Region of Brazil.  We were on MT-060 which turns into the Transpantaneira Highway when we spotted several Jabiru in a mixed flock that included Wood Storks near the road.  A little further down the road we got to watch a Jabiru nest.  For details of my Brazilian trip that include the sighting of this bird, look here.  Below are a couple of my photos of this unusual bird.  The first photo was taken at one of our stops along the Transpantaneira.  The rest of the photos were taken at the nest on the grounds of Santa Tereza or on the adjacent river.