Lesser Adjutant

Leptoptilos javanicus

Family: Storks · Status: Uncommon resident · Size: 122.5–129 cm · Conservation: Near Threatened

Range

Occurs across the Indian subcontinent, Indochina, the Thai-Malay Peninsula, and Greater Sundas to Bali.

Identification

Large bird with mostly horn-coloured bill, unfeathered head and neck, reddish face, yellow neck, black upperparts, white underparts and dark grey legs. Shows all black wings with white patch on inner underwing coverts in flight. Non-breeding adult has duller bare parts. Juvenile duller above, with more down on bare parts.

Habitat

Freshwater wetlands, mangroves, coastal swamp, and mudflats.

Behaviour

Feeds mainly on fish (including mudskippers), frogs, reptiles, and large invertebrates; probes mud when foraging; usually solitary, forming loose colonies when breeding.