Where to see the Marabou Stork in South Africa

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Marabou Stork at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, iSimangaliso Wetland Park and Ndumo Game Reserve. 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 Marabou Stork is most recorded in Mpumalanga (46% of records), Limpopo (42% of records), North West (6% of records), based on 1,156 iNaturalist observations. 26 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Marabou Stork on site or nearby.

The Marabou 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; Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park: year-round, dry season May-Sep; iSimangaliso Wetland Park: year-round, dry season May-Sep; Ndumo Game Reserve: year-round, dry season May-Sep. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

The marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer) is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It breeds in Africa south of the Sahara, in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation, especially landfill sites. It is sometimes called the "undertaker bird" due to its shape from behind: cloak-like wings and back, skinny white legs, and sometimes a large white mass of "hair".