Since no one did the Jabiru for their organism presentation, I decided I would do some research on it. In the event that someone decides to do this topic later, I will keep this post brief.
General facts:
Jabirus are massive creatures, weighing up to 17 pounds and standing up to five feet tall. They hold the record for being the tallest flying bird in South America. Even their beaks alone can be a foot long! One of their distinguishing features is their neck, which consists of a bare red inflatable patch that helps them to feed. In fact, the name Jabiru is of Tupi-Guaraní origin and translates to "swollen neck."
Habitat and diet:
Jabirus live near bodies of water (hence their presence in the Pantanal) and feed on fish, molluscs, and amphibians. Sometimes they will also eat reptiles and small mammals and even carrion during the dry season. To find food, they open their beak at a 45 degree angle in the water. When prey enters their mouth, they snap it shut and throw back their head in order to force it down their throat. Jabirus have also been seen to steal food from other storks they coexist with, the Wood and Maguari Storks.
Reproduction and life cycle:
Jabirus build huge nests high up in the trees that can reach dimensions of 1 m wide and 1.8 m deep. Females produce about 2 to 5 eggs per clutch, and both parents watch over them. Raccoons and other storks occasionally eat the eggs. However, when Jabirus grow to adulthood, they have no known predators. Fledging occurs at about 110 days, but young chicks stay in their parents' custody for another 3 months. Because of this long brooding period, many pairs of Jabirus have difficulty reproducing in subsequent years; less than half of the couples that are active one year are also active the next. Still, the Jabirus have a whopping lifespan of 36 years, giving them plenty of time to produce offspring.
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