English              -               Jabiru

Portuguese      -               Tuiuiú

Latin                  -                Jabiru Mycteria

The Jabiru is definitely the biggest and bulkiest bird I have photographed and it can be quite intimidating when it starts walking towards you……..you really don’t want to get in its way. I photographed the Jabiru in various locations in the Pantanal (2267 km from Vila Velha). It seemed to be quite a common species but I  mostly saw it either alone or in pairs but on one occasion saw quite a big flock feeding in a distance pond.  All 3 photos of the Jabiru were taken on different days. The second photo is of one tending to its nest, just outside the grounds of our hotel. Passo do Lontra.

* The Jabiru is recognised as the symbol of the Pantanal.

* It is the tallest flying bird found in South and Central America.

* A prehistoric-looking bird with a height of 1.53mtrs, weighs up to 8kgs and has a wingspan of 2.6mtrs.

* Both adults are similar in plumage, but the male is larger than the female and has a longer bill.

* It is the only member of the genus ”Jabiru”.

* The Jabiru is often silent but not voiceless. Mainly at breeding sites, they produce various vocalisations and noises such as hisses or fizz and will also perform a certain amount of bill-clattering.

* It is found in Central, South America from Mexico, down  to Argentina.

* It lives in wet areas such as large fresh water marshes, rice fields, swampy woodlands, savannahs with ponds, lagoons, banks of rivers or lakes with scattered trees, estuaries, and flooded areas.   

* The Jabiru feeds on aquatic preys such as fish, eels, molluscs, crustaceans, amphibians, snakes, young caimans and turtles, and insects. 

* The female lays 3-4 eggs which are incubated for about 1 month. The nestlings fledge after 90 days.

* In 1988 the Jabiru had the status of “near threatened” but due to recent conservation efforts it is now a widespread but not abundant species. Therefore it is now considered as a species ”of least concern” on the IUCN red list.