A species of large storks (family Ciconiidae) with males up to 1.5 m tall and a wingspan of about 2.5 m; females are smaller. They are white, with a red band at the base of the neck, a featherless, black head, a large, black, upturned bill, and black legs and feet. They nest in treetops close to water and feed on a variety of fish and other animals including caimans, turtles, and snakes. During the dry season they hunt collaboratively in flocks of 10–50; in the wet season they are more solitary. They occur in Central and northern South America.