Jaburu is known in Brazil as a slang for very ugly woman or person who is clumsy and weird, but which also calls a species of bird (jabiru mycteria) characterized by having white body plumage and black head.
As a slang, jaburu is understood as a derogatory and pejorative term, used mainly to insult a certain person.
The jaburu bird, on the other hand, is known as the symbol of the Brazilian Pantanal region. Also known as tuiuiú, tuiuguaçu and tuiupara, the name of the jaburu bird originated from the Tupi yabi’ru or iambyru, and means “swollen neck” – due to the fact that these animals have this characteristic.
Jabirus are quite common in South America and belong to the same family as storks. Visually, these birds can measure more than one meter in height by three in wingspan (with open wings), have the plumage predominantly white, but with the neck and head without feathers and black in color, with a small red band at the base of the neck.
Jabirus feed on small mammals, insects, reptiles, fish and molluscs.