Editing Stork (section)

==Morphology==
[[File:Yellow-billed Stork (Mycteria ibis) (12011503884).jpg|thumb|''Mycteria'' storks, like this yellow-billed stork, have sensitive bills that allow them to hunt by touch]]
Storks range in size from the marabou, which stands {{convert|152|cm|in|abbr=on}} tall and can weigh {{convert|8.9|kg|lb|frac=4|abbr=on}}, to the Abdim's stork, which is only {{convert|75|cm|in|-1|abbr=on}} high and weighs only {{convert|1.3|kg|lb|frac=4|abbr=on}}. Their shape is superficially similar to the herons, with long legs and necks, but they are more heavy-set. There is some [[sexual dimorphism]] (differences between males and females) in size, with males being up to 15% bigger than females in some species (for example the saddle-billed stork), but almost no difference in appearance. The only difference is in the colour of the [[Iris (anatomy)|iris]] of the two species in the genus ''[[Ephippiorhynchus]]''.<ref name="HBW" />

The [[beak|bills]] of storks are large to very large, and vary considerably between the genera. The shape of the bills is linked to the diet of the different species. The large bills of the ''Ciconia'' storks are the least specialized. Larger are the massive and slightly upturned bills of the ''Ephippiorhynchus'' and the jabiru. These have evolved to hunt for fish in shallow water. Larger still are the massive daggers of the two adjutants and marabou (''Leptoptilos''), which are used to feed on carrion and in defense against other scavengers, as well as for taking other prey.<ref name="HBW" /> The long, ibis-like downcurved bills of the ''Mycteria'' storks have sensitive tips that allow them to detect prey by touch (tactilocation) where cloudy conditions would not allow them to see it.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Coulter|first1=Malcolm C.|last2=Bryan|first2=A. Lawrence|title=Foraging Ecology of Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) in East-Central Georgia I. Characteristics of Foraging Sites|journal=Colonial Waterbirds|date=1 January 1993|volume=16|issue=1|pages=59–70|doi=10.2307/1521557|jstor=1521557}}</ref> The most specialised bills of any storks are those of the two openbills (''Anastomus''), which as their name suggests, is open in the middle when their bill is closed. These bills have evolved to help openbills feed on their primary prey item, aquatic snails.<ref name="openbill diet">{{cite journal|last1=Kahl|first1=M. P.|title=Food and feeding behavior of Openbill Storks|journal=Journal of Ornithology|date=January 1971|volume=112|issue=1|pages=21–35|doi=10.1007/BF01644077|bibcode=1971JOrni.112...21K |s2cid=1484358}}</ref>

Although it is sometimes reported that storks lack [[Syrinx (bird anatomy)|syrinxes]] and are mute,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Spring Alive|title=A bird without voice|url=http://www.springalive.net/world/spring_news/Birdwithoutvoice|access-date=7 March 2017}}</ref> they do have syrinxes,<ref name ="Griffiths">{{cite journal|last1=Griffiths|first1=Carole S.|title=Monophyly of the Falconiformes Based on Syringeal Morphology|journal=The Auk|date=October 1994|volume=111|issue=4|pages=787–805|doi=10.2307/4088811|jstor=4088811|s2cid=53388019|doi-access=free}}</ref> and are capable of making some sounds, although they do not do so often.<ref name="HBW" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sundar|first=K.S. Gopi|date=2005|title=An instance of mortality and notes on behaviour of black-necked storks Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus|journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society|volume=102|issue=1|pages=99–102}}</ref>  The syrinxes of storks are "variably degenerate" however,<ref name ="Griffiths"/> and the syringeal membranes of some species are found between tracheal rings or cartilage, an unusual arrangement shared with the [[Ovenbird (family)|ovenbirds]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Casey|first1=Richard M.|last2=Gaunt|first2=Abbot S.|title=Theoretical models of the avian syrinx|journal=Journal of Theoretical Biology|date=September 1985|volume=116|issue=1|pages=45–64|doi=10.1016/S0022-5193(85)80130-2|bibcode=1985JThBi.116...45C}}</ref>