Jabiru Stork and Chicks
Southwild Pantanal Lodge
The Pantanal
Brazil
South America
This is the nest of a pair of Jabiru storks and their offspring. They had three chicks. Their average lifespan is 36 years. The pair nest at a ranch we stayed at early in the trip called Southwild. The birds have been there a long time, as they are the same birds I saw back in 2012. They wait by the boats begging for fish and are very used to humans. They are very wary, however, if you get too close to them on land and fly away.
Being so used to humans, the storks allowed a viewing platform to be built parallel to the tall dead tree with their nest. It was a spiral metal staircase around a large central pole. The structure was fastened to the ground by a series of cables to limit the amount of shake as you climbed the platform.
I am not very good with heights and was a little leery of climbing the steps. But since this was a moment of a lifetime I decided to get my courage up and ascend into the sky. The staircase was pretty steady but swayed slightly upon climbing. I definitely did not feel secure but took as many photos as I could before descending the stairs. The next day I even did it a second time, feeling a little more comfortable about the situation. It was well worth it to say the least.
Below the nest were smaller nests containing monk parakeets, so since I was up there I took some images of them and will show one a little later.
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The jabiru in Latin: Jabiru mycteria) is a large stork found in the Americas from Mexico to Argentina, except west of the Andes. 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 a Tupi–Guaraní language and means "swollen neck".
The jabiru is the tallest flying bird found in South America and Central America, often standing nearly the same height as the flightless and thus much heavier American rhea.
The adult jabiru is 120–140 cm (47–55 in) long, 2.3–2.8 m (7.5–9.2 ft) across the wings, and can weigh 4.3–9 kg (9.5–19.8 lb).
Jabiru Stork and Chicks
Southwild Pantanal Lodge
The Pantanal
Brazil
South America
This is the nest of a pair of Jabiru storks and their offspring. They had three chicks. Their average lifespan is 36 years. The pair nest at a ranch we stayed at early in the trip called Southwild. The birds have been there a long time, as they are the same birds I saw back in 2012. They wait by the boats begging for fish and are very used to humans. They are very wary, however, if you get too close to them on land and fly away.
Being so used to humans, the storks allowed a viewing platform to be built parallel to the tall dead tree with their nest. It was a spiral metal staircase around a large central pole. The structure was fastened to the ground by a series of cables to limit the amount of shake as you climbed the platform.
I am not very good with heights and was a little leery of climbing the steps. But since this was a moment of a lifetime I decided to get my courage up and ascend into the sky. The staircase was pretty steady but swayed slightly upon climbing. I definitely did not feel secure but took as many photos as I could before descending the stairs. The next day I even did it a second time, feeling a little more comfortable about the situation. It was well worth it to say the least.
Below the nest were smaller nests containing monk parakeets, so since I was up there I took some images of them and will show one a little later.
___________________
The jabiru in Latin: Jabiru mycteria) is a large stork found in the Americas from Mexico to Argentina, except west of the Andes. 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 a Tupi–Guaraní language and means "swollen neck".
The jabiru is the tallest flying bird found in South America and Central America, often standing nearly the same height as the flightless and thus much heavier American rhea.
The adult jabiru is 120–140 cm (47–55 in) long, 2.3–2.8 m (7.5–9.2 ft) across the wings, and can weigh 4.3–9 kg (9.5–19.8 lb).