Did you know that the Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas is the only park in the world successfully breeding Black-Necked Storks? In Australia, these majestic creatures are restricted mainly to the coastal monsoonal areas of Australia. Naturally inhabiting wetlands such as rivers and floodplains, our team at the Wildlife Habitat have purposely designed our Wetlands area of the park to mimic their natural habitat. Along with these animals resides several other wading birds who love diving in their waterways foraging for fish and crustaceans. Aside from birds, a trip to our wetlands will reveal several other animals, including fruit-bats and koalas.

The Black-Necked Storks are known for the bonds that exist between them and their partners. Pairs of Black-Necked Storks bond for several years, and often for life. However, they will re-mate if a partner is lost. Along the Stork Walk at the Wildlife Habitat, you get to witness the amazing courtship displays of these creatures. Communicating with one another usually consists of bowing, spreading their wings and bill-clattering.

These water birds have a black and white body with green and purple necks. They are also equipped with a long narrow bill, which the storks use to jab and catch prey. These consist of small fish and crustaceans. Comparing the male and female is often difficult from a distance. However up close and personal with the creatures, you will see that the females have a bright yellow iris whereas the male has a black iris.

Once a pair of these storks have decided to mate, the clutch usually consists of 2-4 eggs. Incubation is 35 days, and the chicks will generally remain on the nest for between 70-100 days before fledging.

As previously mentioned, Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas is the only wildlife park in the world successfully breeding these beautiful creatures. This has drawn people all over the world to our wildlife park. In fact, we still have communication with international guests who have previously visited our park and love to stay up to date with James and Jabbie’s progress.

More Info?

This is just one of the many animals we have at our wildlife park. If you are wanting to know more about the storks, feel free to pop in and speak to our knowledgeable wildlife carers or give us a call. We are often posting information about all our different animals on Facebook. So be sure to like us to stay in the loop with what is happening at the park!