Birds
Jabiru
Jabiru mycteria · also called jabirus
A jabiru wades through shallow wetland water on legs that carry it taller than almost any other flying bird in the Americas, its bare black head and bright red neck band visible long before the rest of it comes into focus. It is an unmistakable shape wherever it appears, built on a scale most wetland birds simply do not reach.
Overview
The jabiru, Jabiru mycteria, is a massive stork native to wetland and grassland habitat from Mexico through much of South America. It hunts fish, amphibians, and small vertebrates by wading through shallow water, using its large upturned bill.
Impossible to overlook
Between its towering height, its bare black-and-red head, and its habit of returning to the same growing stick nest year after year, the jabiru stands out clearly even among the wetland’s other large wading birds, a genuine giant of its habitat.
Status
Least Concern — widespread and stable across suitable wetland habitat from Mexico to South America, with localised wetland drainage the main long-term concern.
Jabiru: common questions
How big can a jabiru actually get?
The jabiru is considered the tallest flying bird found in the Americas, with a substantial overall height and a large wingspan that together make it one of the most immediately noticeable birds wherever it occurs across its wide wetland range from Mexico to South America.
Why does a jabiru have a bare black head?
Like several other large wading and scavenging birds, a jabiru's bare, featherless black head and neck likely helps keep the area clean while feeding on wet or messy prey items, with the striking red band of skin around the lower neck adding a distinctive visual feature used in identification and possibly signalling.
What does a jabiru eat?
A jabiru is a carnivore feeding mainly on fish, amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals, hunted by wading through shallow wetland water and using its large, slightly upturned bill to seize prey detected largely through touch and sight as it moves through the water.
Do jabirus reuse the same nest every year?
Yes, a jabiru pair typically builds a large stick nest, often positioned high in an isolated tree, and the same nest may be reused and added to across multiple breeding seasons, gradually growing larger over the years it continues to be used by the pair.