Painted Stork
Mycteria leucocephala
About This Species
Wades through shallow lake margins and paddy fields, sweeping its long, curved bill side to side through the water to detect fish and frogs by touch rather than sight. Large breeding colonies gather in waterside trees, most active and easiest to observe during the dry-season months when falling water levels concentrate prey into smaller pools. Listen for the low grunting and hissing exchanged between nesting pairs, and look for the pink flush on the wing coverts that intensifies during the breeding season.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Keep well back from nesting colonies, since disturbance can cause birds to abandon nests or drop eggs and chicks; a stationary vantage point away from the colony edge is safer than approaching on foot.
- Protection status varies across its South and Southeast Asian range, with several countries listing it under national wildlife protection legislation, so check local rules before visiting a colony.
- Avoid loud noise or sudden movement near feeding or roosting groups, and never use a drone near an active colony.
LCAvesCiconiiformesCiconiidae
Seasonal Activity
229,752 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Ciconiiformes
- Family
- Ciconiidae
Photo
(c) Rujuta Vinod, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Rujuta Vinod
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.