White Stork

White Stork  Ciconia ciconia

Etymology:

• Ciconia : Latin word for stork
• Ciconia : Latin word for stork 

Vernacular Names:  Sind: Laklak, Hindi: Laglag, Haji laqlaq, Ujli, Dhak, Gybar, Baddaretwa, Sans: Seetmahabak, Pun: Laklakdhing, Guj: Ujali, Safeddhonk, Mar: Pandhrakarkocha, Shwetbalak, Te: Wadumikonga, Mal: Vanbakam, Kan: Bilikokkave 

Distribution inIndia:Widespread Winter visitor, mainly in Gujrat, Kerala and lower plains of Himalayas.

Description: Size of 100–102 cm; wt. of 2·275–4·4 kg; wingspan of 155–165 cm.Its plumage is mainly white, with black on its wings. The adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks. It has black orbital skin, iris is dark brown or grey; pale band on secondaries. Both the sexes are similar. The juvenile has duller plumage, including browner greater wing-coverts, brownish-red bill, legs and feet. The race asiatica(winter visitor to India) is slightly larger than nominate.

Habitat: It is found in grasslands, steppes, savannas, cultivation, rice fields, saltpans, dry and humid pastures, water meadows and marshy areas, as well as at margins of slow-flowing streams or ditches, ponds and lakes

Food Habits: It eats large invertebrates and small vertebrates. Eat carrion and scavenge for scraps at landfills, rubbish dumps and on slaughterhouse. Its foraging is unspecialized, involving strutting about, locating prey by sight and snatching it up in the bill, occasionally after a very brief chase.

Breeding Habits: They breeds in Nov-Jan.Often loosely colonial, with many nests close together, but solitary nesting not unusual. Large stick nest, may be 2·5 m deep or more, lined with turf, dung, paper, etc. It is usually placed in a tree (always in S Africa) or on roof of a building. Same nest regularly reused in successive years. They lay a clutch of 4-6 eggs. The incubation period is 33–34 days. Single-brood in a season. The fledging period is 58–64 days. Food is brought for the young chicks by the adults and regurgitated onto the nest platform.