Owner Comments:
When I first purchased this coin, it was something of a mystery and the bird on it still is. I knew that the coin depicted storks, and that I really liked the depiction. However, I wasn’t sure what exact species of stork the coin depicted. Since the coin is Liberian, it narrowed the possibilities down and I was able to determine with a little research that this coin depicts a pair of Woolly-Necked Storks, species name Ciconia episcopus.
Unlike many of the other modern dinosaurs depicted in this set, I wasn’t able to find much information on the Woolly-Necked Stork. However, I want to include it in this set, so I will simply share what information I was able to find on this bird, with the possibility of coming back to this essay later if I find more information.
The Woolly-Necked Stork is a medium sized stork that lives in wetlands in the tropical regions of Africa and Asia. The only size statistic I was able to find for this species was height range, which is 29.5 to 36.2 inches. Appearance-wise, these storks have a black cap on the tops of their heads, a white, woolly neck, with an overall coloration of black. The lower bellies and the undersides of the tail feathers are white and the feathers on the fore neck have an iridescent, coppery-purple hue. The legs of Woolly-Necked Storks are red and the beaks are usually black but some individuals of this species have dark red bills with only the last third of the beak being black. Woolly-Necked Storks also have a narrow band of very bright unfeathered skin on their forearms, which is visible when the stork is flying or displaying. The coloration of this skin ranges from a deep red-gold to a neon orange-red among different individuals. Woolly-Necked Storks also have a deeply forked tail, further enhancing their unique appearance. There is no sexual dimorphism among Woolly-Necked Storks. Both sexes look exactly the same.
Like most storks, the Woolly-Necked Stork is a predator. Prey animals include small reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects. Woolly-Necked Storks also use wildfires to their advantage, waiting on the edge of the fires to capture and consume small animals running from the fires.
Woolly-Necked Storks are largely solitary animals, staying only with their mates, but sometimes they will form flocks of 5 to 10 individuals. As far as breeding goes, Woolly-Necked Storks mate for life and the pairs always stay together. They nest in trees and on cliffs, where they make large stick nests. Typically, two white eggs are produced, but there are rare instances of large clutches of up to five eggs being laid. Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the young by regurgitation. The altricial young are born covered in fuzzy grey down, which becomes a duller version of the adult’s plumage at fledging, which occurs at about 55 days of age. The young learn to fly around the same time and they stay with their parents for some weeks after this before striking out on their own. Woolly-Necked Storks can live for up to 30 years.
I was unable to find any information on animals which prey upon Woolly-Necked Storks but I would imagine that they are preyed upon by various crocodile species and Marabou Storks where their habitats overlap. If I can find anything definite, it will be added.
Well, I’m going to close this one by apologizing for the lack of detailed information on this beautiful modern theropod. It seems that there just hasn’t been much research and scholarship conducted on this species, so please forgive this brief essay. It will be updated as scholarship becomes available.