Jabiru are found in the Western Hemisphere, as far north as Mexico and as far south as Argentina. They are most common found in wetland regions of Brazil and Paraguay. Jabiru have been spotted in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela, with rare sightings as far north as Texas.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); neotropical (Native )

Jabiru can grow as tall as 1.15 m and weigh as much as 8 kg. Their wingspan averages 2.6 m. The beak is upturned, black, and broad, and can extend to 30 cm. The plumage is white, the skin on the head and neck are featherless and black. On the top of the head there is a silver tuft of hair. There is a 75 mm band of skin around the lower portion of the neck. When jabiru are inactive, the band is a deep pink. When they are irritated, it turns a deep scarlet color. Jabiru also have a featherless red pouch at the base of the neck. Both genders have dark brown irises and black legs and feet. An oval of pink skin is located just above the sternum, but is only visible when the bird is erect just before take-off. Males are noticeably larger than females and have a larger and straighter bill.

Range mass: 8000 (high) g.

Range length: 1.15 (high) m.

Average wingspan: 2.6 m.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: male larger

• Terrestrial
• Freshwater

Jabiru are found near rivers and ponds, usually in large groups. They prefer open wetlands, especially flooded savannas. They are also seen in freshwater marshes and open country that is near water. These birds usually build their nests atop tall trees.

Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial ; freshwater

Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland

Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds; rivers and streams

Wetlands: marsh ; swamp

Other Habitat Features: agricultural ; riparian

Jabiru consume large amounts of fish, mollusks, insects, and amphibians. They may also eat reptiles and small mammals. During dry seasons, they have been known to eat carrion and dead fish. They feed in flocks and usually forage by wading in shallow water. They detect prey more through tactile sensation than vision. They feed by holding their open bill at a 45 degree angle to the water. When prey is contacted, they close their bill, draw it out of the water, and throw their head back to swallow.

Animal Foods: mammals; amphibians; reptiles; fish; carrion ; mollusks

Primary Diet: carnivore (Piscivore , Molluscivore )

Jabiru have been known to eat dead fish and carrion, effectively preventing spread and development of disease and improving the quality of isolated bodies of water after droughts or fish die-offs. They also impact populations of preferred prey, such as small fish, mollusks, and amphibians.

Other jabiru and wood storks (Mycteria americana) have been known to attack jabiru nests. Humans are the primary predators of jabiru. Before jabiru were protected nestlings were hunted for meat. Jabiru are large birds that can effectively defend themselves and their young when confronted by most predators.

Known Predators:

• jabiru (Jabiru mycteria)
• wood storks (Mycteria americana)
• humans (Homo sapiens)

All jabiru have a greeting display. In this display, they face each other in their nests, holding their necks erect and heads high. They clatter their bills loudly and rapidly while waving their necks from sided to side and moving their heads up and down. The presence of an inflatable throat sac also indicates to other birds when they are excited. There is undoubtedly communication that occurs among parents and young, but this has not been well documented. Jabiru are not highly vocal.

Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic

Jabiru, like most storks, have an average lifespan of about 30 years, although some have been known to live past the age of 40.

Typical lifespan

Status: wild: 30 (high) years.

Average lifespan

Status: captivity: 36.0 years.

In breeding pairs, wing-flapping exhibits are believed to be a form of courtship behavior. During courtship, males establish themselves at a nest site. A female then approaches a male until he accepts her presence. Females are most often rejected. During copulation, males step onto a female's back from the side, hooking his toes over her shoulders and bending his legs for contact. The female opens her wings while the male flaps his slowly for balance. The male shakes his head and clatters his bill alongside the female's bill throughout copulation. Male and female jabiru stay together for at least one breeding season, possibly staying together through multiple breeding seasons.

Mating System: monogamous

Jabiru begin gathering to mate near the end of the rainy season. Most breeding occurs from December to May. Nests are usually located within 1 km of other jabiru nests. Jabiru nests are found 15-30 m above ground in isolated, tall trees. These trees are usually near riparian forests or wetlands. Nests are often deeper than they are wide, they can be up to 1 m wide and 1.8 m deep. Nests are usually made of sticks and woody debris. The average clutch size is around 3 (range 2 to 5) eggs with an average hatching success of 44%. When nestlings are four weeks old, the parents start leaving them by themselves for more extended periods of time. Young birds fledge around 110 days after hatching, although they remain dependent on their parents. Jabiru pairs spend six to seven months a year involving themselves in reproductive tasks. Because of this long length of time spent breeding, pairs have difficulty breeding in successive years. Less than half of active pairs in one season are active the next season. Only 25% of successful pairs are successful the next season.

Breeding interval: About half of adult jabirus mate each year, most jabiru mate every other year.

Breeding season: Breeding occurs from December to May.

Range eggs per season: 2 to 5.

Average eggs per season: 3.14.

Range time to hatching: 1 to 3 months.

Average fledging age: 100 days.

Key Reproductive Features: seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)

Both males and females are involved in nest building, incubation, and care of the young. During incubation and the nestling stage, one parent watches over the nest while the other forages. The pairs stay in isolated breeding areas until the nestlings fledge. They exhibit strong territoriality near their nest and feeding areas.

Parental Investment: pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Protecting: Male, Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female)

Jabiru gained protected status in Belize in 1973. Since then, there numbers in that area have slowly risen. They have been granted protected status by the U.S. Migratory Bird Act. Jabiru are widespread but not abundant in any area. They are considered a species of least concern by the IUCN, an improvement from a status of near-threatened in 1988.

US Migratory Bird Act: protected

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: appendix i

State of Michigan List: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

There are no negative impacts of jabiru on humans.

Before jabiru were protected they were hunted for their meat and feathers. Jabiru are important members of healthy ecosystems, drawing bird enthusiasts to natural areas.

Positive Impacts: food ; body parts are source of valuable material; ecotourism