Ciconiidae
ciconiiformes
Birds
30 days.
2-3 eggs.
Small aquatic animals such as frogs, small fish, aquatic insects, worms, crustaceans, and occasionally small mammals and birds.
28 years in captivity.
Tantalos stand out for using tactile fishing techniques. The usual method is to walk slowly in murky water, sometimes in a group. They keep their beak submerged and partially open, and when it touches potential prey it closes suddenly, offering little chance of escape. However, it does not do so when it touches an aquatic plant, which suggests that the beak has areas sensitive only to contact with its victim. They are not gregarious animals.
This species nests in colonies in trees, often associated with Abdim storks, pink pelicans and other birds. It builds a relatively small nest of sticks, where it lays 2-3 eggs. They reach sexual maturity at three years old.
They carry out irregular migrations, partial migrations or nomadic movements looking for areas where changes in water level allow an increase in the availability of fish, although some populations, however, are sedentary.
