Marabou Stork

The Marabou Stork is Uganda’s unofficial national bird.

One of the most prevalent birds in Uganda is the Marabou stork, scientifically known as Leptoptilos crumeniferu. One of the ugliest birds in Uganda is the Marabou Stork, also referred to as Kaloli in the local dialect. The Ciconiidae family of storks includes the huge wading bird Leptoptilos crumenifer.

Location of the Marabou Stork

The Ugandan capital, Kampala, is one among the many locations where this bird can be observed. The Marabou stork is a native of the African continent and is easily observable in almost all African nations. This pest lives in areas with a lot of discarded trash, such as lakeshores, marshes, fishing villages, and frequently, arbotours.

According to recent studies conducted by Birding International, Kampala’s marabou stork population has been declining since 2004. According to reports, the number of these ugliest birds in Africa has dropped from 20,000 to about 10,000. The study attributes the decline to the city’s growing urbanization, which has diminished the habitat for birds.

The municipal sanitation and rubbish disposal authorities frequently destroy the largely dirty breeding habitats, forcing the Marabou Stork farther from the city center.

The Marabou Stork as an Organic Trash Gatherer

Recent studies conducted by the Makerere University Institute of Environment and Natural Resources (MUIENR) indicate that each marabou stork contributes to the daily cleanup of 1-2 kg of trash.

The surviving 10,000 Marabou storks in Kampala are thought to be able to remove only one to three tons of trash from the city center each day due to their declining numbers. From an ecological perspective, this bird might be the best option for trash collection with far less financial impact!

Centers for Gazetted Viewing

Although there are not any official viewing locations for these birds yet, a utopian idea would be to build up certain locations from which to observe them. To preserve this Ugandan bird, gazetted birdwatching places would be established. The gazetted sites would support the overall bird population and serve as breeding places. Viewing sites would help increase the government’s Treasury earnings from tourists.