Greater Adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius) lives in wetlands grassland across South Asia. It feeds on carrion and scraps. Its conservation status is Near Threatened.
Fascinating facts about the Greater Adjutant
- A single greater adjutant can weigh up to 11 kg, rivaling the heaviest living storks. Juvenile birds in captivity measured 8-11 kg, and a rescued nestling grew from 4.71 kg to 8 kg as an adult before release. The heaviest wild stork recorded was a marabou at 8.9 kg, showing the adjutant sits at the top of the stork weight range.
- Only about a thousand greater adjutants remained in 2008, yet by 2023 the mature population rose to 1,360-1,510 individuals, shifting its IUCN status from Endangered to Near-Threatened. The increase follows intensive community action in Assam's Brahmaputra Valley, where women's "Hargila Army" protects nests and rescues fallen chicks. This rebound proves that culturally-driven conservation can reverse declines even for species once thought on the brink.
- Greater adjutants stand 145-150 cm tall with a 250 cm wingspan, making them among the largest winged birds alive. Their bill averages 32.2 cm, and the neck pouch inflates with air, not food, a fact proven in 1825 by Dr John Adam's dissection. The massive bill and pouch give the bird a vulture-like silhouette.
- During breeding, a pair lays three to four eggs, each incubated for 28-30 days, and both parents feed the chicks for about five months. Chicks double in size each week and can walk on the nest platform after just one month. Nearly 15 % of fledglings die after falling, so conservationists now hang nets beneath nests, catching the youngsters for hand-rearing before release.
- Greater adjutants thrive on human-altered landscapes, often feeding at garbage dumps, slaughterhouses, and even on partially burnt corpses in 19th-century Calcutta. Their bare head and neck are adaptations that keep them clean while rummaging through rotting flesh, and their habit of defecating on their legs (urohydrosis) cools them in hot climates. This close tie to waste makes them vital urban sanitation agents, turning refuse into food and reducing disease risk.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeSouth Asia
HabitatWetlands grassland
DietCarrion and scraps
About the Greater Adjutant
In the scorching wetlands of South Asia, the Greater Adjutant stalks its domain with an air of quiet elegance, its stately strides devouring distance as it searches for carrion to scavenge. With a wingspan of over six feet, this majestic bird commands attention, its sombre plumage a stark contrast to the vibrant hues of its surroundings, and yet, it is a master of subtlety, able to blend into the shadows with an uncanny ability. As it moves through the landscape, its very presence seems to embody the delicate balance between life and death, a poignant reminder of the beauty and fragility that exists in these precious ecosystems.
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