Kaloli Bird – Undertaker Bird – the Marabou Stork is the Unofficial National Bird of Uganda
The Marabou Stork – Africa’s Ugliest Bird – Beauty is not everything
The Marabou Stork (Leptoptilos (slender wing) crumeniferus (referring to the throat pouch) is the Unofficial National Bird of Uganda. It is a Carrion-eater or Scavenger Bird, a sort of Garbage Collector, fulfilling a vital function in the wild and towns.
When most of us think of storks, most of us think of the ones that deliver babies worldwide. The Marabou Stork is neither cute nor attractive and is the ugliest Bird you have ever seen. It is no wonder they are called the Undertaker Birds.
Undertaker Bird is a just-right description for this Bird since it is a carnivore carrion (dead animal) eater. The Marabou Stork, aka Undertaker Bird, is quite a sight with its frightening Halloween appearance—the Marabou Stork with the scabby head, pouch, red button, and poop-covered legs.
In Ugandan tradition, it is said that when God created the birds, he took leftover parts and made the Marabou Stork creating Africa’s ugliest Bird.
Why is the Marabou Stork the Unofficial National Bird of Uganda? In Uganda, corruption is a way of life. President Museveni addresses the problem in new ways, but it is hard to eradicate. Corrupt officials, police, tax officials, and countless others like the Marabou Stork feed on anything that comes their way.
Since it is a vulture, one could make a case that the Bird, in its horror, is a symbol of opportunistic corrupt officials. Like the Marabou Stork, they feed on any scraps they might find. Hence Ugandans call a corrupt official a Kaloli Bird providing off of others. Like Marabou Storks, corrupt officials have an insatiable appetite.
The Marabou Stork is the Unofficial National Bird of Uganda
Visitors to Uganda are often surprised at how many large birds are found within Kampala, especially around garbage dumpsters. The number of Marabou Storks had grown dramatically, and the President wanted them relocated in 2008. However, the Kaloli Birds remained, and today you will see them all over Kampala as the unofficial Garbage Collectors of the city.
Their Habitat is almost everywhere in Uganda. You will see them in towns and the Wild, where they are found in wetlands, near rivers and lakes, and on the savannah plains.
From Entebbe to Queen Elizabeth Park-Savannahs, Marshes, and Plains, you will come across the Marabou Stork no matter where you go in Uganda.
You might see them in cities, towns, and villages, predominantly around garbage dumps, slaughterhouses, and fish processing establishments. It is different in the Wild of Uganda. Here, the Marabou Storks consume carrion, termites, snakes, baby crocodiles, other reptiles, flamingo chicks, and adolescent flamingoes.
When the Marabou Storks gather around a carcass with other vultures, the vultures will back off, allowing the bad-tempered Marabou Storks to dig in and thrust their heads deep into the corpse.
Marabou Storks will be there if there is a fire on the savannah, ready to consume the dead animals and snakes.
The Marabou Stork is the Unofficial National Bird of Uganda
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ne of the strange things is that Marabou Stork defecates on its legs and feet, giving the hollow legs a whitish color. It would be best to avoid parking underneath trees where Marabou Storks are nesting in Kampala. Why? You might get it dropped upon as others have here in Kampala.
You will often see the Marabou Stork merely standing around almost lazily. They are not threatening humans even though they reach a height of 1.5 meters plus. They have grey-black wings and white underpants – hence the undertaker’s nickname. The Marabou has a bald head, as most vultures do (adolescents have some wooly hair on the head). Their head and neck have scabby-like black spots and a white neck ruff.
Two things that stand out as somewhat unusual are the two inflatable air sacks – a bright red one at the base of the neck in the back and a pink one like a giant balloon hanging down from the channel. The bill of the marabou stork is yellowish.
When the Marabou Stork flies, you can see the incredible wingspan as the long legs trail behind, keeping their necks tucked in. They look rather elegant as they use thermal up-drafts to give them the lift they need. However, most Marabou Storks you will see will not be in flight but standing around. During the rainy season in Kampala, you can see them flying around light posts attempting to get their fill of Nsenene, as grasshoppers are called in Luganda.
Regarding noise, they do not have a loud cry or anything of that nature but clack away grunting and are generally relatively quiet.
The young hatch during the dry season, and the female lays 3 to 5 eggs; both parents are involved in the incubation process, and the young hatch after 30 to 50 days. The young stay with their parents for up to 4 months. During that time, the parents go on the prowl looking for prey suitable for the young, including victims with bones for calcium.
The Marabou Stork is the Unofficial National Bird of Uganda. The Kaloli Bird – aka – Undertaker Bird is genuinely ugly – some would call him Africa’s ugliest Bird. Yet, you will see them wherever you go. One person said that when God created the birds, he took the leftover parts and made the Marabou Stork – Africa’s ugliest Bird…Remember that scavengers like the Marabou Stork are fast disappearing from the African Wild, and their presence is badly needed to keep things neat in the African Bush.
The Marabou Stork is the Unofficial National Bird of Uganda. It needs to be protected – unlike its human counterpart that only takes, the Kaloli Bird does a valuable function and cleans things up…the undertaker Bird of Uganda.
More about the Marabou Stork Presented in this Video
