Jabiru …

In the north of Australia we are lucky to have the beautiful Black-necked Stork …

Many Australians call this the Jabiru, indeed just outside Kakadu National Park there is a town named after this popular mistake. Kakadu, of course, is Crocodile Dundee country. Mick Dundee might well have said, “Call that a Jabiru? This is a Jabiru.”

The South American claim on the word is undeniable, Jabiru is from Tupí–Guaraní for swollen neck. Other Tupí–Guaraní words that are likely to be familiar are jaguar, tapioca, jacaranda and anhinga. Jabirus are found through a broad swathe of Central and South America east of the Andes. They are at their most abundant in the Pantanal. They look fairly gruesome on foot but are the picture of grace once airborne.