Overview
Along the water’s edge, the African openbill moves slowly through the shallows, probing the mud and vegetation for freshwater snails. This medium-sized stork takes its name from the distinctive gap between the upper and lower parts of its bill, which develops as the bird matures.
The unusual bill is perfectly suited to handling slippery, hard-shelled prey. Its curved shape and closely meeting tips help the bird grip a snail, position it securely and extract the soft body from inside the shell. Despite a common assumption, the bill does not work like a nutcracker and the shell is not usually crushed.
African openbills may forage alone, in small groups or in large gatherings where food is abundant. Their movements are often influenced by rainfall and changing water levels, which create temporary feeding grounds rich in aquatic snails.
Behaviour & How to Identify
Look for a dark, slender stork with long legs, broad wings and a heavy brownish bill. Adult plumage appears almost black from a distance but can show glossy green, purple or bronze tones in good light. Younger birds are duller and browner, and their bills initially lack the prominent central gap seen in adults.
African openbills forage by walking steadily through shallow water and repeatedly probing beneath the surface. Once a snail is located, the bird grips it with the tips of its bill and manipulates the shell until it can remove the animal inside.
They are social birds and often breed in colonies alongside other waterbirds. Both parents help build the nest, incubate the eggs and feed the chicks. Colonies may contain hundreds of nests when suitable trees, shallow water and plentiful food occur together. One documented mixed waterbird colony in Mozambique contained more than 500 African openbill nests.
Interesting facts
The gap in the bill is absent in young birds. It develops as the openbill matures and becomes increasingly specialised for handling molluscs.
The bill does not crush snail shells. Its converging tips help grip and carry rounded shells while the bird extracts the snail from inside.
Discarded snail shells can accumulate around favoured feeding and nesting sites. Large concentrations of openbills may return repeatedly to particularly productive wetlands.