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".
Region
Neotropical Americas
Typical Environment
Occurs from southeastern Mexico through Central America to much of South America east of the Andes, most abundant in the Pantanal and Eastern Chaco. It favors extensive wetlands, floodplains, marshes, oxbow lakes, and slow rivers. During dry seasons it concentrates at remaining water bodies and exposed pools. It occasionally wanders north into the southern United States, especially Texas.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The jabiru is the tallest flying bird in the Americas and the only member of its genus. It often reuses enormous stick nests built high in trees, sometimes for many years. Despite its size, it is typically quiet, communicating mainly with loud bill-clattering. Its Tupi–Guaraní name means “swollen neck,” referencing the bare, inflatable lower neck with a red band.
Jabiru with chicks at the nest
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
soaring glider with slow, powerful wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually forages alone or in pairs but may gather loosely where food is abundant. Pairs build very large stick nests high in emergent trees and often reuse or add to them annually. Clutches are small, and both parents incubate and feed the young.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Generally silent; lacks a true song. Communication is dominated by loud bill-clattering at the nest and occasional hisses or grunts.
Plumage
Mostly white body and wings with contrasting black flight feathers; head and upper neck are bare and black with a prominent red lower-neck band. Plumage appears clean and glossy when fresh.
Diet
An opportunistic carnivore that primarily takes fish, but also amphibians, aquatic invertebrates, small reptiles, and carrion. It forages by wading slowly and striking with its heavy bill, often using tactile feeding in murky water. Larger prey are subdued and swallowed whole or repositioned before gulping.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in shallow wetlands, seasonally flooded savannas, marsh edges, and slow-moving river margins. During droughts it concentrates at shrinking pools and oxbow lakes where prey become trapped.
