Yellow-billed Stork at the Hagenbeck Zoo, Hamburg (Germany)

The Yellow-billed Stork (Mycteria ibis), sometimes also called the Wood Stork or Wood Ibis, is a large African wading stork species in the family Ciconiidae. It is widespread in regions south of the Sahara and also occurs in Madagascar. Adult Yellow-billed Storks have a smooth forehead and their face is orangey-red. Their bills are long and thick at the base. It is also slightly curved at the tip and bright yellow, hence their name. Their necks are also long and slender and greyish white. The rest of their body including their back, belly and breast is solid white with a small hint of pink on the tips of their feathers. Their tail and wing quills are black. The Yellow-billed Storks’ legs vary from a dark red to a light pink colour and are long and skinny. The female storks are smaller than males. When the animals are resting, they stand on their legs like marabous, without bending their heel joints. Eight Yellow-billed Storks live on the Stork Meadow at Hagenbeck Zoo.

The Hagenbeck Zoo (Tierpark Hagenbeck) is a zoo in Stellingen, Hamburg, Germany. The collection began in 1863 with animals that belonged to Carl Hagenbeck Sr. (1810–1887), a fishmonger who became an amateur animal collector. The park itself was founded by Carl Hagenbeck Jr. (1844–1913) in 1907 and it is still operated and owned by the Hagenbeck family today. It is known for being the first zoo to use open enclosures surrounded by moats, rather than barred cages, to better approximate animals' natural environments. Over the years, the zoo has gained a good reputation for successfully breeding rare and endangered species such as the Asian Elephant and the Siberian Tiger.