- Mycteria leucocephala
Identification
The Painted Stork is a broad winged soaring bird. Like all storks, it flies with its neck outstretched. The adult is a large bird, 95-100cm tall, mainly white with black flight feathers. The head is red, and the long downcurved bill is yellow. The tail and legs are pink, and there is dark barring on the breast. Juvenile birds are a duller version of the adult, generally browner and lacking the bright colours of the adult.
Distribution
It is a tropical species which breeds in Asia from India and Sri Lanka to southeast Asia. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, eastern China, Kampuchea, and Vietnam. It is found in small numbers in Thailand also, but it's almost extinct in that area and considered threatened in some other areas. It is a protected species at this time.
Taxonomy
The Painted Stork, Mycteria leucocephala, is a large wading bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae.
Habitat
It is a resident breeder in lowland wetlands with trees. This species of stork can be found in freshwater marshes, ponds, and flooded fields.
Behaviour
The large stick nest is built in a forest tree, and 2-5 eggs is a typical clutch.
The Painted Stork walks slowly and steadily in shallow waters or adjacent wet grassland seeking its prey, which, like that of most of its relatives, includes fish, frogs and large insects. It sweeps its head from side to side with its bill half open in water as it hunts for fish.
It will eat frogs as well. The stork sticks its head into shallow water, with its bill partially open, and swings its head back and forth in search of fish. Sometimes it will use a wing to direct fish towards its bill. When it senses it has touched a fish or frog with its bill, it snaps it shut, capturing its prey. They will also eat snails.
Painted Storks live together in large colonies near water. They often share their habitat with other species of storks, as well as herons, ibises, cormorants, and spoonbills. These particular storks make their large nests in the trees close to the water's edge. The nests are made with sticks and lined with leaves. The males do most of the stick gathering, while the females build the nests with the sticks brought back by their mates.
Breeding season for the Painted Stork is at the end of the rainy season. At mating time, the male storks perform many ritualistic displays in order to attract a mate. They will preen, fly about, and snap their bills, all in hopes of getting a female stork's attention. Once mated, the pair builds their nest. The female stork lays 3 to 5 eggs, and then incubation lasts for 27 to 32 days. Both parents incubate their eggs, and both care for their young. Once the hatchlings break free of their shells, they are fed regurgitated fish by their parents until they are able to catch their own food. The baby storks are sheltered from the sun by their parents' partially opened wings. When the storks are young, they are able to make a loud call to attract the attention of their parents, but by the time they are 18 months old they are practically voiceless, just like the adult storks. The young storks are brownish in color when they hatch, and don't grow in their full adult feathers, or plumage, until they are 3 years old. They are fully mature at 4 years old.
As with most other birds, sight and hearing are probably the Painted Stork's most important senses. Communication when young is a loud raucous call; after 18 months old, the storks communicate mainly by clattering their large bills or hissing, or by visual "displays" such as bowing to each other or spreading their large wings.
