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The Jabiru (Jabiru mycteria) is a large stork found in the Americas from Mexico to Argentina, except west of the Andes. It is most common in the Pantanal region of Brazil and the Eastern Chaco region of Paraguay. It is the only member of the genus Jabiru. The name comes from a Tupi–Guaraní language and means “swollen neck”.The name Jabiru has also been used for two other birds of a distinct genus: the Asian Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus), commonly called “Jabiru” in Australia; and sometimes also for the Saddle-billed Stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis) of sub-Saharan Africa. The Ephippiorhynchus are believed to be the Jabiru closest living cousins, indicating an Old World origin for the species.The proposed Late Pleistocene fossil stork genus Prociconia from Brazil might actually belong in Jabiru. A fossil species of jabiru was found in the early Pliocene Codore Formation near Urumaco, Venezuela.In Portuguese, the bird is called jabiru, jaburu, tuiuiu, tuim-de-papo-vermelho (“red-necked tuim”, in Mato Grosso) and cauauá (in the Amazon Basin). The name tuiuiu is also used in southern Brazil for the Wood Stork (Mycteria americana).The Jabiru is the tallest flying bird found in South America and Central America, often standing around the same height as the flightless and much heavier American Rhea, and has the second largest wingspan, after the Andean Condor.The adult Jabiru is 120–140 cm (47–55 in) long,Adam Loewen Canada Jersey, 2.3–2.8 m (7.5–9.2 ft) across the wings, and can weigh 4.3–9 kg (9.5–20 lb). Large males may stand as tall as 1.53 m (5.0 ft). The beak, which measures 25–35 cm (9.8–14 in), is black and broad,Jerseys NFL Wholesale China Online, slightly upturned, ending in a sharp point. Among other standard measurements, the tail measures 20–25 cm (7.9–9.8 in), the tarsus measures 28.5–39 cm (11.2–15 in) long and the wing chord measures 58.5–73 cm (23.0–29 in).The plumage is mostly white, but the head and upper neck are featherless and black,WBC Jerseys, with a featherless red stretchable pouch at the base. The sexes are similar in appearance but the male is larger, which can be noticeable when the sexes are together. While it can give the impression of being an ungainly bird on the ground, the Jabiru is a powerful and graceful flier.The Jabiru lives in large groups near rivers and ponds, and eats prodigious quantities of fish, molluscs, and amphibians. It will occasionally eat reptiles, bird eggs and small mammals. It will even eat fresh carrion and dead fish,A.J. Morris Italy Jersey, such as those that die during dry spells, and thus help maintain the quality of isolated bodies of water. They feed in flocks and usually forage by wading in shallow water.JabiruJabirus 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.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabiru – cite_note-ADW-2 It is an opportunistic feeder. 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,Jerseys NFL Wholesale China, Jabirus have been seen attempting to kleptoparasitize the two smaller storks it co-exists with, the Wood and Maguari Storks.The nest of sticks is built by both parents around August–September (in the southern hemisphere) on tall trees,World Baseball Classic Jerseys Outlet, and enlarged at each succeeding season growing to several metres in diameter. Nests are often deeper than they are wide and they can be up to one metre (3.3 ft) wide and 1.8 metre (5.9 ft) deep. 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 two to five white eggs and are known to be more territorial than usual against other Jabirus during the brooding period. Raccoons and other storks (including their own species) are occasional predators of jabiru eggs, but most nest predators appear to avoid these huge-billed birds and there are no known predators of healthy adult Jabirus.Although the young fledge around 110 days old, they often spend around another three months in the care of their parents. Because of this long length of time spent brooding, pairs have difficulty breeding in successive years. Less than half of active pairs in one season are active the next season. Only 25 per cent of successful pairs are successful the next season. The lifespan average is 36 years. |
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