Saddle-billed Stork

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Saddle-billed Stork at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, Timbavati Private Nature Reserve and iSimangaliso Wetland Park and other reserves. A record means a host has seen it on the property or nearby, which makes these the places to base yourself; it is never a guarantee of a sighting on any given day.

The Saddle-billed Stork is most recorded in Mpumalanga (55% of records), Limpopo (33% of records), KwaZulu-Natal (11% of records), based on 1,654 iNaturalist observations. 45 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Saddle-billed Stork on site or nearby.

The Saddle-billed Stork is recorded throughout the year, so no month is the wrong month to look for it. For the parks where hosts record it most, these are the best seasons they give. Kruger National Park: Apr-Sep; Sabi Sand Game Reserve: year-round, dry season May-Sep optimal; Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct; Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park: year-round, dry season May-Sep. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

The Saddle-billed Stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis) is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.

The saddle-billed stork, or saddlebill (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis) is a large wading bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. It is a widespread species which is a resident breeder in sub-Saharan Africa from Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya south to South Africa, and in The Gambia, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Chad in west Africa. Considered Endangered in South Africa.