Painted Stork

1. Bird Name
English Name: Painted Stork
Scientific (Latin) Name: Mycteria leucocephala

2. Appearance
The Painted Stork is a large and colorful bird with a distinctive, long, yellow beak that is slightly curved at the edge. Adults boast a striking array of pink, white, and black feathers. Its pink and black wings offer an attractive contrast to its primarily white body and tail feathers. The Painted Stork also has a distinctive black bandit mask that connects its vibrant orange eyes and an intriguingly bare, pinkish head. Male and female Painted Storks exhibit no evident sexual dimorphism and look virtually identical.

3. Size
Painted Storks typically range from 93 to 102 cm (36–40 inches) in length, with an impressive wingspan that stretches between 150–160 cm (59–63 inches). These large birds usually weigh between 2 to 3.5 kg (4.4 – 7.7 lbs).

4. Habitat & Distribution
Typically a resident bird of Asia, Painted Storks are distributed from the Indian subcontinent, south to Sri Lanka, extending towards Southeast Asia. The species is fond of wetland habitats, and can be frequently spotted around water bodies such as marshes, ponds, and rivers, predominantly in flooded, shallow fields.

5. Interesting Facts
The Painted Stork doesn’t vocalize much; it primarily uses bill clattering for communication. They are known for their efficient style of hunting for fish in shallow waters, which includes stirring the water with their bill closed, waiting for a fish to touch the inside of their beak and closing in rapidly. Additionally, they’ve been observed in some places to feed in cooperation with other bird species.

6. Diet
Painted Storks are primarily carnivorous, their diet consisting mostly of fish and amphibians. They are also known to feed on small rodents and reptiles.

7. Behavior & Sounds
These storks are known for their unique wing-tipping behavior and cooperative hunting style. They are silent for the most part, but during breeding season, they’ve been noted to perform unusual bill-clattering sounds.

8. Conservation Status
The Painted Stork is currently labeled as ‘Near Threatened’ on the IUCN Red List. Loss of wetland habitat, human disturbance, and hunting are among the significant threats to their population.

9. Lifespan
A Painted Stork’s lifespan varies depending on environmental conditions and the presence of predators, but on average, it can live up to 15 years in the wild and about 25 years in captivity.

10. Additional Notes
In Thailand, the bird is known as Nok Kaeo, referring to its dazzling plumage. The species is integral to the ecosystem by helping control the population of fish and other aquatic life. Their nesting sites often provide shelter for other bird species too. Despite their near-threatened status, they have adapted to human presence, observed nesting in populated areas with minimal disturbance. They play an important role in their native folklore and are often seen as symbols of good luck.