Driving through Liwonde National Park in Malawi, our guide pointed out a lone marabou stork.
The tall bird swayed as it walked slowly ahead of our vehicle, lifting each foot almost mechanically, placing it with surprising grace.
“Unusual to see them alone,” our guide said. “They’re normally found in large groups — you can see why they’re one of the Ugly Five.”
“The Ugly Five?” I didn’t know there was such a thing. The next five minutes were spent trying to guess the other four.
“Hyena?” we cried.
“Correct,” said Casper.
“Vulture?”
“Yes.”
A pause.
“Warthog is another,” Casper added.
“No!” we protested. How could Pumba be in the Ugly Five?
And finally — wildebeest.
They may be the less photogenic members of Africa’s wild world, but they’re no less vital to its balance. Three are carrion eaters, essential to the health of the ecosystem, preventing the spread of disease and recycling nutrients by consuming the dead. Without them, the circle of life would falter.
We rounded another bend in the bush and there, on our left, stood a large group of marabou storks — a mustering. Not a sight on most safari wish lists, perhaps, but for me, one of the most memorable.
These sinister-looking birds, often called “the undertakers”, were motionless — around forty of them — dressed in grey tails with bald pink necks and heads, strikingly out of place in the vivid green of the landscape.
I love it when nature surprises you — and more often than not, it’s the small, the overlooked and occasionally the unbeautiful that do just that. Beauty, after all, is in the eye of the beholder.
