The African Openbill stork is a bird species which is sometimes known as the Anastomuslamelligeruscategorized within the Cinconiidae family which bares storks that are large, long-necked, legged and as well as long-billed. This Openbill stork is widely spread and native to different parts of sub-Saharan Africa. The bird species weighs about 1 to 1.3 kilograms and measurement of 80 to 94 centimetres in length.

Identification of the African Openbill stork

An adult Openbill stork has a generally glossy green with dark overall and brown layer of feathers which also has a purplish colour on the breast and mantle. It also has a notably large brownish bill with grey eyes and black legs. The juvenile’s layer of feather tips is pale on the upperparts and is more dull and brown.

African openbill stork has a bill which is unusual and adapted to feeding behaviour of eating mainly different large aquatic snails hence the type of bill is also useful in extracting mollusc from the shell. It has a brownish-horn like bill which is paler towards the base and the wide gap of about 6mm is shown by the mandibles between them joining only at the tip.

The male Openbill stork is larger than the female but basically, both of the adults are similar. The bill of the young stork has a narrower gap between the mandibles and almost straight and it always develops the gap little by little as it grows.This bird species during displays, it produces a bill-clatters sound hence giving loud croaks and honks as it is the case in most of the Ciconiidae.

Openbill storks frequently inhabit areas that are mainly extensive with freshwater wetlands and usually found in swamps, marshes, shores of lakes and rivers, flooded plains and rice fields. It also sometimes dwells in the moist savannah and burnt grasslands and also tall trees near streams for nesting reasons.

The bird species ranges in Africa South of Sahara and also found occurring in the western regions of Madagascar but also is infrequent throughout West Africa. It sometimes migrates in the dry season with regular Trans-equatorial movements whereby the birds arrive in West Africa in flocks although the movements are not well understood.

The behaviour of the Openbill Stork

According to the range of the African Openbill stork most especially in Uganda, the bird species feeds on terrestrial snails, large insects, frogs, fish, worms and crabs after detecting those preys and catching them between the mandibles.  It always feeds alone or else it combines in small groups and walks slowly into the shallow water and it digs into the mud with its long sharp bill and sometimes it flies and stands on the back of the grazing hippos awaiting for the snails that are often disturbed by these huge animals.

The Openbill Stork’s breeding season just before the beginning of the rainy period that involves the emergence of the snails. These bird species always carry snails in their bill tip to the nest to feed their young ones or chicks and they also often have a shell litter just below the large colony.

The bird is highly sociable even during the breeding season hence performing typical storks’ displays of greeting between mates and up-down display which is accompanied by bill clattering. There is frequent copulation during the construction of the nest and it usually occurs on the nest itself hence nest in colonies usually over water in various sizes.

During the migration process, the Openbill performs sustained flapping flight while in long-distance flights using thermals and flying is done when the neck and head are outstretched together with the long broad wings that are well adapted for soaring.

During the reproduction process, the female lays a maximum of about four eggs that are chalky white and oval-shaped. The incubation of the eggs is done by both parents and will last for about 25 to 30 days.

The chicks are always black having a normal bill during the hatching process and the gap will develop over some years as the chicks mature. Both parents do feed the chicks and they develop wings that are strong and large enough for a flight to occur in the period of about 50 to 55 days after hatching process.