Which bird is described as a scavenger with a varied diet including carrion?

Which bird is described as a scavenger with a varied diet including carrion?

• A. Marabou stork
• B. Snow goose
• C. Shoebill
• D. Pied kingfisher

Answer: (A)

Scavenging is feeding on dead or decaying animals, a strategy that lets some birds exploit carrion as a reliable food source. The marabou stork fits this role perfectly: it is famous for an opportunistic, varied diet that includes carrion, fish, frogs, insects, small mammals, and other refuse. Its physical adaptations—a large bill and a bare head—are well-suited for feeding at carcasses, and it often loiters at carcass sites or dumps to take advantage of available leftovers. The other birds listed don’t rely on carrion: snow geese mostly graze on plants, the shoebill hunts fish and amphibians, and the pied kingfisher specializes in catching fish by diving. So the marabou stork is the best match for a scavenger with a varied diet including carrion.

Scavenging is feeding on dead or decaying animals, a strategy that lets some birds exploit carrion as a reliable food source. The marabou stork fits this role perfectly: it is famous for an opportunistic, varied diet that includes carrion, fish, frogs, insects, small mammals, and other refuse. Its physical adaptations—a large bill and a bare head—are well-suited for feeding at carcasses, and it often loiters at carcass sites or dumps to take advantage of available leftovers. The other birds listed don’t rely on carrion: snow geese mostly graze on plants, the shoebill hunts fish and amphibians, and the pied kingfisher specializes in catching fish by diving. So the marabou stork is the best match for a scavenger with a varied diet including carrion.