Painted Stork


This large stork has a heavy yellow beak with a down-curved tip that gives it a resemblance to an Ibis. The head of the adult is bare and orange or reddish in colour. There is a distinctive black breast band with white scaly markings on them. The rest of the body is whitish in adults. The legs are yellowish to red and their short tail is black with a green gloss. Males and females appear alike but the males of a pair are usually larger than the female. 


The young ones are mainly whitish with grey bills and blackish facial skin. The juveniles assume a brownish plumage and like most other storks reach breeding conditions after two to three years.


Painted storks feed in groups in shallow wetlands, crop fields, and irrigation canals. They feed mainly on small fish which they sense by touch while slowly sweeping their half-open bill from side to side while it held submerged. They also take frogs and the occasional snake. 

Image 1 - Adult 
Image 2 - Juvenile
Image 3 - adult feeding the juveniles  


 

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