The largest storks in the world have settled in the Moscow Zoo

The official website of the Mayor of Moscow told about the new residents of the Moscow Zoo. A pair of saddle-billed yabiru will now live in a huge aviary for birds on the shore of the Bolshoy Presnensky Pond. These birds are considered the largest in the stork family. Adult males in the wild grow up to 1.5 meters, and in captivity up to 1.8 meters. The species is listed in the Red Book.

Zoologists have created calm and comfortable living conditions for these storks. Now they live in a warm wooden house. In the storks' dwelling there is a swimming pool and various plants grow. Here the birds will spend the winter, and in the summer they will be released on the street territory of the aviary.

The new inhabitants of the zoo are very young birds. They get along well together, but so far it is difficult for zoologists to say whether they will become a couple. Saddleback yabir need a lot of time to adapt to a new environment and get used to people. In the Moscow Zoo they are fed fish. Live fish are first released into the pool, and then storks catch it themselves.

These storks have a peculiarity — they are constantly silent due to the lack of a vocal organ. Birds can only hiss, protecting their nest. They make loud noises by clicking their beaks.