Black-necked stork

The black-necked stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) is a tall long-necked wading bird in the stork family. It is a resident species across the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia with a disjunct population in Australia. It lives in wetland habitats and certain crops such as rice and wheat where it forages for a wide range of animal prey. Adult birds of both sexes have a heavy bill and are patterned in white and glossy blacks, but the sexes differ in the colour of the iris. In Australia, it is sometimes called a jabiru although that name refers to a stork species found in the Americas. It is one of the few storks that is strongly territorial when feeding.

Scientific Name : Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus

Family : Ciconiidae

Order : Ciconiiformes

Class : Aves

Type : Storks

Conservation Status : Near threatened (NT)

Size : 129 – 150

Compare Size : Kite ++

Wingspan : 230

Migratory : Resident

Sex Alike : Yes

Nesting Season : September – November. Clutch is four eggs which are dull white in colour and broad oval in shape, but varies from one to five eggs

Other Names :

Hindi : बनारस

Marathi : काळ्या मानेचा करकोचा

Habitat:
Black-necked storks forage in a variety of natural and artificial wetland habitats. They frequently use freshwater, natural wetland habitats such as lakes, ponds, marshes, flooded grasslands, oxbow lakes, swamps, rivers and water meadows. Freshwater, arti???

Feeding:
The black-necked stork is a carnivore and its diet includes water-birds such as coots, darters, little grebes, northern shoveller, pheasant-tailed jacana and a range of aquatic vertebrates including fish, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates such as cr???

Male

Female


Identification Features

Male & Female
Head glossy bluish-black iridescent
Neck glossy bluish-black iridescent
Secondaries glossy bluish-black iridescent
Tail glossy bluish-black iridescent
Crown coppery-brown
Belly bright white
Belly bright white
Bill black; heavy
Lower mandible slightly concave upwards at the end
Legs bright red
Iris yellow in female; brown in male
Juvenile
Note :
Juveniles younger than six months have a brownish iris; a distinctly smaller and straighter beak; a fluffy appearance; brown head, neck, upper back, wings and tail; a white belly; and dark legs. Juveniles older than six months have a mottled appearance.

SIGHTINGS

Date Location
2019-01-31 31 Jan 2019 Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Rajasthan
2019-02-01 01 Feb 2019 Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Rajasthan

Similar Birds

(Storks)