SADDLE BILL STORK – Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis

The Saddle-billed Stork is one of the tallest and most vibrantly colored storks and one of the most striking waterbirds in sub-Saharan Africa. It is named for the yellow, fleshy patch at the dorsal base of the bill, a characteristic unique in the stork family. It is most closely related to the Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) of southern Asia and northern Australia, and also shares a clade with the Jabiru (Jabiru mycteria) of Central and South America. This species, or closely related ones, are known from numerous fossils in North Africa, where it was historically widespread. As recently as about 4,500 years ago, it was found in the Egyptian Nile Delta, where its occurrence was captured in hieroglyphs and artwork by ancient Egyptians.