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- Leptoptilos javanicus
Identification
110-120 cm (43¼-47¼ in)
- Slaty blue-black upperparts and wings in breeding season
- White belly and undertail
- Bare head and neck
- Long and thick bill
Juveniles are a duller version of the adult.
Similar Species
Distribution
Asia: they are found from India and Sri Lanka to southern China, Indochina and Indonesia.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Mangrove forest, tidal estuary, large rivers and lakes inside well wooded regions, grasslands, crop fields.
Behaviour
Breeding
They are colonial tree nesters, sometimes in mixed species. They build a stick nest.
Diet
Diet consists primarily of fish, such as skippers; also frogs, large insects, young birds, lizards and rodents. They will also eat carrion, which is probably why they have a bare head and neck.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved August 2015)
- Website of Everything
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Lesser Adjutant. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 September 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Lesser_Adjutant
External Links