Lesser Adjutant Stork

Lesser Adjutant Stork  Leptoptilos  javanicus

Etymology:

• Leptoptilos : Greek word leptos – delicate, slender; ptilon –feather.
• Javanicus : From Java in Indonesia

Vernacular Names:  Hindi: Chinjara, Chandana, Chandiari, Bang gor, Chotagarud, Ben: Madanchur, Madantak, Ass: Toklamoora, Bortokla, Guj: Nano jamadar, Ta: Mevakokku, Te: Dodalkonga, Dodalgattigadu, Chinnabeggurukonga, Mal: Vayalnaiicken, Sinh: Mana, Mar: ChotaKshetrabalak, Chandaneshwar

Distribution in India:Widespread resident in lowland of Himalayas in Central and East India. Winter visitor in East India

Description: Size of 110–120 cm; wt. of4000–5230g.It has a bony plate on crown; lacks pendant air sac. Innergreater upperwing coverts narrowly edged white; undertail coverts pure white. Non breeding adult has bare parts duller.

Habitat : It is found in mangroves, mudflats, coastal swamp, marshes, flooded grassland, lakes, and paddy fields.

Food Habits: It eats fish, especially mudskippers, also frogs, reptiles, crustaceans, locusts, rats and some carrion. It walks, searches and probes, when trying to catch mudskippers; often thrusts head and even sometimes most of neck into mud when probing. On mudflats, tends to feed along water’s edge

Breeding Habits:They breed in Nov-Jan.Tree nester in colonies, sometimes with other species. Large stick nest, in large tree, such as silk cotton and typically in mangroves. They lay a clutch of 2–4 eggs.