The Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) is a large wading bird that is characterized by its bold black and white plumage. It lives
in wetlands and around lakes, where they forage for prey including coots,
ducks, jacanas, little grebes and other birds, apart from fish, snakes, frogs,
crabs and large insects.
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| Black-necked Stork at Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur |
The Black-necked Stork is stately with a jet black crown,
wings and tail contrasting sharply with white on the rest of its body. Males
have brown irises, while the female eyes are yellow. There is not much else
that differentiates the sexes in this bird. Their necks are glossy iridescent
with blue, red, green or purple depending on the light and viewing angle. It
has a large black bill and red legs. They weigh approximately 4 kilograms.
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| Black-necked Stork in flight over Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur |
These birds are seen in south and south-east Asia, and also have
a resident population in Australia. In
India, they are found in the west, north and east but rarely in the south. With
sightings becoming rarer due to depleting numbers, these birds can sometimes be
seen as pairs in places around Delhi – almost certainly at Surajpur Bird
Sanctuary in Greater Noida, lesser at Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary in Haryana, and
at Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur where a few pairs reside.
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| A pair of Black-necked Storks at Surajpur Bird Sanctuary, Greater Noida |
These storks are beautiful in flight and often soar in the
heat of the day. They are also found sitting for long hours or foraging gracefully
as pairs. They build their nests, usually on old trees after the rains, and
raise two or three chicks. At times, they even stay as pairs after the breeding
season is over.
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| Black-necked Stork foraging at Surajpur Bird Sanctuary, Greater Noida |
The Black-necked Stork is categorized as “vulnerable” by
IUCN. Their total number in Asia has plummeted to just about 1,000 birds, while
Australia has about 20,000.
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| At its favorite perch at the Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur |
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