- Leptoptilos dubius
Identification
120–152 cm (47¼-60 in)
- Very heavy bill
- Yellow neck pouch
- Dark brown or black face
Distribution
Asia, Nepal, India
Southeast Asia: Indochina, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand (seemingly extirpated in most of this range; currently known to breed in Assam (India) and Cambodia, dispersing to Nepal in winter).
Globally endangered species but easy to see in Assam, North-eastern India (population ±300 birds 1992[1]). Birds feed around the fish market in the state capital, Guwahati, and there is a nesting colony on the western outskirts of Nagaon, visible from the highway.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Chiefly mangroves, coastal brackish and fresh water swamps, occasionally inland on rivers, lakes, wetlands and marshes, paddy fields and flooded forests.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists of large fish, frogs, ducks and carrion.
Vocalisation
A variety of croaks and grunts in the nesting area, otherwise rather quiet.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved April 2017)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Greater Adjutant. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 24 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Greater_Adjutant
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
