Unlike most storks, the three Leptoptilos species fly with the neck retracted like a heron. Bill length can range from 26.4 to 35 cm (10.4 to 14 in). Typical weight is 4.5–8 kg (9.9–18 lb), unsusually as low as 4 kg (8.8 lb), and length (from bill to tail) is 120 to 130 cm (47 to 51 in). More typically, these storks measure 225–287 cm (7.38–9.42 ft) across the wings, which is about a foot less than the average Andean condor wingspan and nearly two feet less than the average of the largest albatrosses and pelicans. It is often credited with the largest spread of any landbird alongside the Andean Condor. A wingspan of 3.7 m (12 ft) was accepted by Fisher and Peterson, who ranked the species as having the largest wing-spread of any living bird, and even higher measurements of up to 4.06 m (13.3 ft) have been reported, although no measurement over 3.19 m (10.5 ft) has been verified. 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." A massive bird, large specimens are thought to reach a height of 152 cm (60 in) and a weight of 9 kg (20 lb). It breeds in Africa south of the Sahara, occurring in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation, especially waste tips. The Marabou Stork, Leptoptilos crumeniferus, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Other prey eaten by this species has included frogs, water snakes, Nile monitors ( Varanus niloticus) and baby crocodiles. Preferred prey species have reportedly included marbled lungfish ( Protopterus aethiopicus) and Senegal bichir ( Polypterus senegalus) and various Tilapia species and catfish, the latter mainly in the genus Clarias. The shoebill averages between 3.5 4.5 feet (1 1.4 meters) in height, and weighs between 9 15.5 pounds (4 7 kg). Shoebills are largely piscivorous but are assured predators of a considerable range of wetland vertebrates. A male will weigh on average around 5.6 kg (12 lb) and is larger than a typical female of 4.9 kg (11 lb). Weight has reportedly ranged from 4 to 7 kg (8.8 to 15.4 lb). Length from tail to beak can range from 100 to 140 cm (39 to 55 in) and wingspan is 230 to 260 cm (7 ft 7 in to 8 ft 6 in). The shoebill is a tall bird, with a typical height range of 110 to 140 cm (43 to 55 in) and some specimens reaching as much as 152 cm (60 in). It lives in tropical east Africa in large swamps from Sudan to Zambia. The adult is mainly grey while the juveniles are browner. It has a somewhat stork-like overall form and has previously been classified with the storks in the order Ciconiiformes based on this morphology. It derives its name from its enormous shoe-shaped bill. However, genetic evidence places it with the Pelecaniformes. The shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) also known as whalehead, whale-headed stork, or shoe-billed stork, is a very large stork-like bird. The shoebill ( Balaeniceps rex) also known as whalehead, whale-headed stork, or shoe-billed stork, is a very large stork-like bird.
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