prey is concentrated. The maguari stork lives in sympatry with jabiru and wood stork where the ranges of these three species overlap, especially in the Venezuelan llanos. Of all American stork species, the maguari stork has the smallest geographical range. Behavior and ecology Feeding This stork has a markedly broad diet and is considered to be a generalist compared to the sympatric wood stork and jabiru. It feeds on fish, frogs, eels, earthworms, invertebrates, insect larvae, snakes, freshwater crabs, small mammals such as rats, and bird eggs. More rarely, it may take smaller birds; as one case has shown where a large, intact rail was discovered in the gullet of an individual from Patagonia. Despite the maguari stork's apparently generalist diet, one study from Brazil has suggested that this stork may actively target worm lizards (Amphisbaena) as prey items. This may be because of the elongated body shape of such taxa that occupies a relatively small volume in the bird's stomach and hence can more compactly fit inside the stomach to optimise the bird's energy intake. The maguari stork preferentially forages in shallow waters about 12 cm deep, and more rarely at water depths of up to 30 cm. This may be because shallow waters harbour higher numbers of prey taxa, or are high in dissolved carbon and nutrients. This species is primarily a visual forager. Its usual manner of hunting consists in walking slowly through wetlands with its bill close to the surface of the water, ready to seize any prey it comes into contact with. The bird breeds early during the seasonal rains while the water in the wetland habitat is still undisturbed by fresh rainwater, so that prey items are more visible through the water and success of prey capture, especially as food for nestlings, is higher. However, this stork has also been observed to grope with its bill in the water, although this may be more common toward the end of the breeding season when water bodies begin to dry up and become turbid. Especially during the breeding season, the maguari stork forages solitarily or in pairs. However, it may also feed in larger aggregations outside the breeding season, often in association with other wading bird species. Because prey are concentrated in the shallowness of these pools, tactile foraging would be highly efficient in this situation. Although the maguari stork largely depends on shallow freshwaters as