Jabiru
Jabiru mycteria
The Jabiru (Jabiru mycteria) is a uncommon stork found in 23 countries, weighing about 6.0 kg. The jabiru is a large stork found in the Americas from Mexico to Argentina, except west of the Andes.
About the Jabiru
The jabiru is a large stork found in the Americas from Mexico to Argentina, except west of the Andes. It sometimes wanders into the United States, usually in Texas, but has also been reported in Mississippi, Oklahoma and Louisiana. 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 the Tupi–Guaraní language and means "swollen neck".
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The jabiru is the tallest flying bird found in South America and Central America, often standing nearly the same height as the flightless and thus much heavier greater rhea. For the continent, it also has the second largest wingspan, after the Andean condor (that is, excluding the great albatross occasionally found off the coast of southern South America). The adult jabiru is 120–140 cm (47–55 in) long, 2.3–2.8 m (7.5–9.2 ft) across the wings, and can weigh 4.3–9 kg (9.5–19.8 lb). Sexual dimorphism is high, possibly the highest of any stork, with males being about 25% larger than females.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in United States, Ecuador.
When to see it
The Jabiru can be seen all year round, with peak activity in August. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Jabiru?
- The jabiru is the tallest flying bird found in South America and Central America, often standing nearly the same height as the flightless and thus much heavier greater rhea. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Jabiru?
- The Jabiru is a huge sized bird weighing about 6.0 kg.
- Where can you see a Jabiru?
- The Jabiru occurs in 23 countries, including Brazil, Costa Rica, Belize, Argentina and Colombia.
- What birds look similar to a Jabiru?
- The Jabiru is most easily confused with the African Openbill, the Maguari Stork and the Marabou Stork.
- Is the Jabiru endangered?
- The Jabiru is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Jabiru for real
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