White-Bellied+Stork

= White-Bellied Stork =

**SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION ** || || Animalia || || Chordata || || Aves || || Ciconiiformes [herons, bitterns, hammerkops, storks, ibises, spoonbills, flamingos] || || Ciconiidae [storks - 19 species] || || //Ciconia// (stork) //abdimii// (past governor of Northern Sudan) ||
 * **COMMON NAME:** || <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Abdim's stork, white-bellied stork
 * <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">**KINGDOM:**
 * <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">**PHYLUM:**
 * <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">**CLASS:**
 * <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">**ORDER:**
 * <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">**FAMILY:**
 * <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">**GENUS SPECIES:**



<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">**<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51)">FUN FACTS ** media type="custom" key="1189841"
 * <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">1. || <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">This bird breeds north of the equator, but spends the rest of the year in eastern and southern parts of Africa.  ||
 * <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">2. || <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> Storks often defecate on their own legs in order to maintain their body temperature through the process of evaporative cooling.  ||
 * <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">3. || <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> Storks have little or no webbing between the toes and their tibia is bare of feathers.  ||
 * <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">4. || <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">This bird is rarely seen in groups of less than ten birds. They are sometimes spotted in huge flocks of up to 10,000 individuals.  ||
 * <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">5. || <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Abdim's storks are often seen in and around large swarms of locusts, gorging on the insects.  ||
 * <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">4. || <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">This bird is rarely seen in groups of less than ten birds. They are sometimes spotted in huge flocks of up to 10,000 individuals.  ||
 * <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">5. || <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Abdim's storks are often seen in and around large swarms of locusts, gorging on the insects.  ||
 * <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">5. || <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Abdim's storks are often seen in and around large swarms of locusts, gorging on the insects.  ||
 * <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">5. || <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102)"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Abdim's storks are often seen in and around large swarms of locusts, gorging on the insects.  ||

and frequently join groups of White Storks. ||
 * < Appearance || The white bellied stork is the smallest stork, at 29 in and a weight of just over 2.2 lbs. It has a long neck and long legs with a fairly large and broad wingspan for it's size. The feathers on most of it's body are a dark brown/black while the feathers on the belly and under the tail are white. They are sometimes mistaken for vultures
 * < Habitat || The white bellied stork resides in open habitats throughout the eastern & southern parts of Africa. ||
 * < Diet/Hunting || The diet consists mainly of large insects, especially swarming locusts and caterpillars of the Army worm; also grasshoppers, crickets and infrequently mice and small aquatic animals. ||
 * < Breeding || It breeds north of the equator, with colonies in trees or on cliffs. These storks also nest in the roofs of native huts, which is often encouraged by the inhabitants since it is believed they bring good luck. Pairs form for the breeding season only and there is no evidence of long-term bonding. They usually lay a clutch of 2-3 eggs, but sometimes only 1. ||
 * < Behavior || They often travel in large flocks up to 10,000 birds. Like other stork species, White Bellied Storks defecate on their legs in order to maintain their body temperature through the process of evaporative cooling. ||
 * **References:**

Abdim's Stork Anchor. Animal Bytes Anchor. Retrieved 30 July, 2008, from http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/animal-bytes/animalia/eumetazoa/coelomates/deuterostomes/chordata/craniata/aves/ciconiiformes/abdims-stork.htm

Abdim's Stork Oregon Zoo Animals Anchor. Retrieved 30 July, 2008, from http://www.oregonzoo.org/Cards/BirdsOfPrey/abdim_stork.htm

Abdim's Stork Wikipedia Anchor. Retrieved 30 July, 2008, from [|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdim%27s_Stork] ||