Waterfowl

Asian Openbill Storks

The Asian Openbill or Asian Openbill Storks, Anastomus oscitans, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae.

Distribution / Range

It is a resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Southeast Asia.

Description

The Asian Openbill Stork is a broad-winged soaring bird, which relies on moving between thermals of hot air for sustained flight.

Like all storks, it flies with its neck outstretched.

It is relatively small for a stork at 68cm length.

Breeding adults are all white except for the black wing flight feathers, red legs and dull yellow-grey bill. The mandibles do not meet except at the tip, and this gives rise to the species’ name.

Non-breeding adults have the white of the plumage replaced by off-white.

Young birds have brown tinge to the plumage.

Stork General Info … Photos of the Different Members of the Stork Family for Identification

Breeding / Nesting

They breed near inland wetlands and build stick nest in trees, typically laying 2-6 eggs.

Diet / Feeding

The Asian Openbill Storks, like most of its relatives, walks slowly and steadily on the ground, feeding on mollusks, frogs and large insects.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Gordon Ramel

Gordon is an ecologist with two degrees from Exeter University. He's also a teacher, a poet and the owner of 1,152 books. Oh - and he wrote this website.

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