Birds Active during the day

Maguari Stork

Ciconia maguari

iNaturalist eBird Wikipedia

Often mistaken for its European cousin, the Maguari Stork is a titan of the South American wetlands, standing nearly four feet tall with striking red facial markings. It is a master of the pampas, patrolling flooded grasslands with a slow, regal elegance.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Height: 97-120 cm (38-47 in); Wingspan: 150-180 cm (59-71 in); Weight: 3.4-4.5 kg (7.5-9.9 lbs)

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Colors

Pure white plumage with black flight feathers and tail; featherless orange-red skin patch around the eyes; bluish-grey bill with a reddish tip; reddish-orange legs. Male and female appear identical.

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Key Features

Striking red facial skin around the eye
Black flight feathers and tail contrasting with a pure white body
Deeply forked tail (often hidden by white coverts)
Thick, straight greyish-red bill
Long, reddish-orange legs

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern Active during the day

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Peak hours 7-11 AM, 3-6 PM

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Season Year-round, but most visible during the dry season when they congregate around remaining water holes.

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Diet Carnivorous and opportunistic; they consume a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial prey including fish, frogs, eels, large insects, crabs, lizards, and small mammals.

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Habitat Open wetlands, seasonal savannas, flooded grasslands (llanos and pampas), and shallow lake margins.

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Where Does the Maguari Stork Live?

These majestic birds are native to the South American continent, primarily inhabiting the vast lowlands east of the Andes Mountains. Their core range stretches from the tropical llanos of Colombia and Venezuela down through the interior of Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, reaching the temperate pampas of central Argentina. While they are occasionally spotted in coastal regions, they are most at home in the expansive, seasonally flooded grasslands of the interior.

Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors

9 Countries

6.5M km² Range

Least Concern Conservation

AR Argentina BR Brazil PY Paraguay UY Uruguay BO Bolivia CO Colombia VE Venezuela GY Guyana SR Suriname

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iNaturalist / Verified observation data

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Behavior

Maguari Storks are highly social and conspicuous birds, often seen in small groups or large flocks where food is abundant. Unlike many of their relatives that prefer nesting in high treetops, Maguaris are versatile, frequently nesting in low bushes, reeds, or even on floating mats of vegetation in marshes. They are graceful fliers, utilizing thermal updrafts to soar over the South American plains with their long necks fully extended and legs trailing behind.

When foraging, they move with a slow, deliberate gait through shallow water or tall grass, stabbing at prey with their powerful, dagger-like bills. They are generally wary of human presence but can become accustomed to observers in agricultural areas or cattle ranches where they are not disturbed. During the breeding season, they perform elaborate greeting displays at the nest, including a characteristic bill-clattering and rhythmic neck-stretching.

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Camera Tips

To capture high-quality footage of a Maguari Stork, position your camera near the edge of a shallow wetland or a seasonal pond. These birds prefer open areas with clear lines of sight, so avoid dense brush that might obstruct the camera’s PIR sensor or the view of the bird's long legs. Aim the camera at a height of about 2 to 3 feet (60-90 cm), angled slightly upward to frame the bird’s tall stature without cutting off its head or the tip of its bill.

Since Maguari Storks are highly visual hunters, they aren't attracted to traditional scent baits. Instead, look for natural 'funnels' like narrowing sections of a marsh or specific spots where fish or frogs are concentrated. If you are on a ranch or farm, placing a camera near a cattle watering trough or a freshly mown field can be very effective, as the birds often follow livestock or machinery to catch flushed insects and small vertebrates.

Set your camera to take high-resolution bursts or short video clips (15-20 seconds). These storks move slowly, so a short video often captures more interesting behavior—like the 'bill-clattering' greeting or the way they shake their foot to disturb prey in the mud—than a single still image. Ensure your trigger speed is fast, as they can strike at prey with surprising speed despite their generally slow gait.

Lighting is crucial for white-plumaged birds. To avoid 'blown-out' white feathers in bright sunlight, try to position your camera so it faces North or South to avoid direct morning or evening glare. If your camera allows for exposure adjustment, underexposing by one stop can help preserve the fine detail in their snowy-white feathers during the brightest parts of the day.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Maguari Stork.

Jabiru

Much larger with a bald black head and neck and a prominent red inflatable throat pouch.

Wood Stork

Smaller with a bald, scaly grey head and a curved bill, unlike the straight bill of the Maguari.

White Stork

Very similar in color but native to the Old World; the Maguari is larger and has a distinctive grey-based bill.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Maguari Storks are strictly diurnal, meaning they are active during daylight hours. You are most likely to see them foraging in the early morning shortly after sunrise and again in the late afternoon before they return to their communal roosts or nests for the night.

Attracting these large storks requires a specific environment. If your property includes a large, open wetland or a pond with shallow, sloping edges, you are more likely to see them. Maintaining natural, chemical-free marsh areas that support healthy populations of frogs and fish is the best way to encourage a visit.

These opportunistic carnivores have a varied diet. They primarily eat aquatic life like small fish, eels, and frogs, but they are also known to hunt on dry land for large grasshoppers, lizards, rodents, and even the chicks of other ground-nesting birds.

They are generally not common in dense suburban settings. Maguari Storks require large, open spaces and significant wetlands. However, they are frequently seen in rural agricultural areas, cattle pastures, and on the outskirts of towns located near the llanos or pampas regions.

While both are large storks, the Jabiru is significantly larger with a massive, all-black head and neck and a distinctive red throat pouch. In contrast, the Maguari Stork has a fully feathered white neck, a grey/red bill, and a small patch of bare red skin only around the eyes.

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