Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala)
Painted Stork

Painted Stork

Mycteria leucocephala

The Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala) is a large wader belonging to the stork family. It is easily recognized by its heavy yellow beak with a down-curved tip, reminiscent of an ibis. The adult's head is bare and exhibits a vibrant orange or reddish hue. Notably, the long tertials are tipped in bright pink, which gracefully extend over the back and rump when the bird is at rest. A distinctive black breast band adorned with white scaly markings is present, continuing into the under-wing coverts. The white tips of the black coverts create the illusion of white stripes running across the under-wing lining. The rest of the body is predominantly whitish in adults, with black primaries and secondaries that have a greenish gloss. The legs range from yellowish to red, often appearing white due to the habit of urohidrosis. The short tail is black with a green gloss. This medium-sized stork stands about 93โ€“102 cm tall, spans 150โ€“160 cm across the wings, and weighs 2โ€“3.5 kg. Males and females are similar in appearance, though males are typically larger.

Identification Tips

When identifying the Painted Stork, look for the pink tertial feathers, the black breast band with white scaly markings, and the heavy yellow beak with a down-curved tip. In flight, they are distinguished by their outstretched neck and the white stripes across the under-wing. Juveniles are brownish with grey bills and lack the vibrant adult coloration.

Habitat

Painted Storks favor freshwater wetlands, but they also frequent irrigation canals and agricultural fields, particularly during the monsoon when rice fields are flooded.

Distribution

These birds are found across the plains of tropical Asia, from the Indian Subcontinent extending into Southeast Asia, south of the Himalayas. They are absent from arid regions, dense forests, and higher hill areas.

Behaviour

Painted Storks are sociable birds, often seen foraging in flocks in shallow waters. They employ a tactile method of feeding, sweeping their half-open beaks side to side in the water to catch small fish. They are known to stir the water with their feet to flush out hiding fish. These storks are not migratory but may move short distances in response to weather or food availability, or for breeding purposes. At the nest, they communicate with weak moans or bill clattering.

Song & Calls

The Painted Stork is mostly silent, but at the nest, it may produce weak moans or engage in bill clattering.

Breeding

They nest colonially in trees, often alongside other waterbirds. The breeding season varies by region, with nest initiation ranging from mid-August in northern India to October in southern India. Clutch size can vary from one to five eggs, with incubation lasting about a month and fledging taking nearly two months.

Similar Species

The Painted Stork can be confused with other storks, but its distinctive pink tertials and black breast band with white scaly markings help differentiate it.

Diet and Feeding

Their diet consists mainly of small fish, which they sense by touch. They may also consume frogs and occasionally snakes. They forage primarily during the day but can also feed at night under certain conditions.

Conservation Status

The Painted Stork is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. However, some populations, particularly along the Indus River system, are endangered, and conservation efforts are necessary to protect nesting colonies and prevent the illegal bird trade.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Painted Storks on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More Storks

A photo of a African Openbill (Anastomus lamelligerus)

African Openbill

Anastomus lamelligerus
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Erna M
I really like Birda
I really like Birda. I also use other birding apps and have Birda with E-bird going at the same time.
Sacha0508
Simply fantastic
I love this app, it puts so much fun into recording the birds Iโ€™ve seen and heard while Iโ€™m out and about. The interface is user-friendly and suitable for all ages. Itโ€™s great to collect badges and to review my โ€œlistsโ€.
Dunners12345
Great App
Great app to use for logging and communicating with others who are interested in birds
D3Nature
Great app for learning Birds
Iโ€™ve been using the app for a couple of months and love it....Someone said itโ€™s like a real life Pokรฉmon Go for birds. Theyโ€™re not far off! Itโ€™s something that the family can do that gets you out and about. Well worth downloading no matter your age.
BCHphotography_
Such a great app!
I didnโ€™t think I could enjoy birding more but this app makes it so much better. Some great features and a really great way to share your sightings with your friends or fellow birders nearby or around the world! โค๏ธ
778
Great bird recording
For a while Iโ€™ve been trying to find an app to easily record bird lists and day out and struggled to find one that I like. Birda is great for this, straightforward and a great community!
Viperray5
Loving it
I really enjoy being able to interact with other birders on this platform! This seems like a great way to meet other birders and find some new spots.
Patricia L
Very encouraging birding app
Easy to use, fun to see progress and encouraging to receive feedback from other users.
Marlster24
Very Wholesome App
Joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so itโ€™s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter ๐Ÿ˜„
Jane N
A great app
Enjoying it immensely and finding it useful too. Recording the different birds and counting them is showing me how the present climate is affecting them all. I've trebled the numbers by planting native hedging. A great app.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright ยฉ 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.