Woolly-necked stork

Woolly-necked stork
Mangaon, Raigad, Maharashtra India
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Ciconiiformes
Family: Ciconiidae
Genus: Ciconia
Species: C. episcopus
Binomial name
Ciconia episcopus
Boddaert, 1783

The woolly-necked stork, bishop stork or white-necked stork (Ciconia episcopus) is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It can also be known as the episcopos or mannickjore.

Description

A woolly-necked stork

The woolly-necked stork is a large bird, typically 85 cm tall. It is glistening black with black "skull cap", white neck and white lower belly. The upper parts are glossed dark green, and the breast and belly have a purple hue.It has long red legs and heavy blackish bill. Sexes are alike. Juvenile birds are duller versions of the adult.

Woolly-necked stork-GOA

Distribution and habitat

In the fields near Hodal in Faridabad District of Haryana, India

It is a widespread tropical species which breeds in Asia, from India to Indonesia, and also in Africa. It is a resident breeder in wetlands with trees.

Behavior

Flying in Maharashtra, India

The woolly-necked stork is a broad winged soaring bird, which relies on moving between thermals of hot air for sustained long distance flight. Like all storks, it flies with its neck outstretched.

Diet

The woolly-necked stork walks slowly and steadily on the ground seeking its prey, which like that of most of its relatives, consists of amphibians, small reptiles and large insects. African birds are attracted to bush fires.

Breeding

The large stick nest is built in a forest tree, and two to five eggs form the typical clutch. This stork is usually silent, but indulges in mutual bill-clattering when adults meet at the nest.

Taxonomy

African birds, C. e. microscelis, have the head mainly black, but the nominate Asian race, C. e. episcopus, has the head mainly white except for a darker area around the eyes. Eastern Indonesian birds belong to a third form, C. e. neglecta.

The bird derives its scientific species name from the black and white vestments formerly worn by clerics.

Conservation

The woolly-necked stork is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

Different views & aspects

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Ciconia episcopus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.

External links

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