Photo © by Alok Tewari
Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, India, 22 June 2017
- Ciconia episcopus
Identification
75–92 cm
- Black overall plumage showing blue, green or maroon-purple iridescence
- Woolly white neck
- White lower belly, undertail coverts and tail
- Glossed dark green underparts
- Purple breast and belly
- Bare, grey skin on side of head and a black cap
Juvenile birds are duller versions.
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, India, 6 December 2010
Distribution
Asia: India to Indonesia and the Philippines.
Taxonomy
This species was formerly included in Woolly-necked Stork together with African Woolly-necked Stork
Subspecies
Ciconia episcopus has two subspecies:[1]
- C. e. episcopus
- India to Indochina, northern Malay Peninsula and Philippines. Bill greyish-red; black crown more extensive, and with sharp edge to white feathering.
- C. e. neglecta
Habitat
Wetlands with trees or within forests, and in the western end of its range, also a variety of agricultural areas.
Behaviour
Usually solitary or in pairs; sometimes in small flocks. The diet includes frogs, lizards and large insects.
This species may move around in response to water levels but is not migratory.
Vocalisation
Bill-clattering has been described.
Breeding
It builds a large stick nest in trees, and usually 3-4 eggs are laid.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2023. IOC World Bird List (v 13.1)_red. Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.13.1. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
- Mlodinow, S. G., J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, N. Collar, E. F. J. Garcia, P. F. D. Boesman, and G. M. Kirwan (2022). Asian Woolly-necked Stork (Ciconia episcopus), version 1.1. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman and B. K. Keeney, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.wonsto1.01.1
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Asian Woolly-necked Stork. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 September 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Asian_Woolly-necked_Stork
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1