Painted Stork
Mycteria leucocephala
Summary 6
The Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala) is a large wading bird in the stork family. It is found in the wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia south of the Himalayas in the Indian Subcontinent and extending into Southeast Asia. Their distinctive pink tertial feathers give them their name. They forage in flocks in shallow waters along rivers or lakes. They immerse their half open beaks in water and sweep them from side to side and snap up their prey of small fish that are sensed by touch. As they wade along they also stir the water with their feet to flush hiding fish. They nest colonially in trees, often along with other waterbirds. The only sounds they produce are weak moans or bill clattering at the nest. They are not migratory and only make short distance movements in some parts of their range in response to changes in weather or food availability or for breeding. Like other storks, they are often seen soaring on thermals.
It is an uncommon free-ranging bird from the Zoo.
It can be confused with the Milky Stork, which has plain upperwing coverts. However, care should be taken as they are known to hybridize.
Fuentes y créditos
- (c) c michael hogan, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), subido por c michael hogan
- (c) Tan Kok Hui, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC), subido por Tan Kok Hui
- (c) Tan Kok Hui, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC), https://picasaweb.google.com/107386319100895694067/OurBirdingTrips04?authkey=Gv1sRgCJDz5oS70oSHbg#5799011429425788114
- (c) Tan Kok Hui, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC), https://picasaweb.google.com/107386319100895694067/OurBirdingTrips04?authkey=Gv1sRgCJDz5oS70oSHbg#5799011408340250946
- (c) Tan Kok Hui, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC), https://picasaweb.google.com/107386319100895694067/OurBirdingTrips03?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSp4u6i5fP2Ow#5746856639390112354
- Adaptado por Tan Kok Hui del trabajo de (c) Wikipedia, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycteria_leucocephala
