Bird Guide

African Woolly-necked Stork

Ciconia microscelis

Least ConcernFishWetlandPlatform nestHuge · 2.1 kg

About the African Woolly-necked Stork

The African woolly-necked stork or African woollyneck is a species of large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It breeds singly, or in small loose colonies. It is distributed in a wide variety of habitats including marshes in forests, agricultural areas, and freshwater wetlands across Africa.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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The African woolly-necked stork is a medium-sized stork at 75–92 cm tall. The iris is deep crimson or wine-red. The stork is glistening black overall with a black "skull cap", a downy white neck which gives it its name. The lower belly and under-tail coverts are white, standing out from the rest of the dark coloured plumage. Feathers on the fore-neck are iridescent with a coppery-purple tinge. These feathers are elongated and can be erected during displays. The tail is deeply forked and is white, usually covered by the black long under tail coverts.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where the African Woolly-necked Stork lives

Regular rangeRare visitor

Recorded as a rare visitor in Somalia, Togo.

When to see the African Woolly-necked Stork

Peak activity in November · a resident species across most of its range

Easily confused with

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