Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala) lives in tropical freshwater wetland across South and Southeast Asia. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Painted Stork
- At up to a meter tall, the painted stork standing about 93-102 cm (36.5-40 in) tall with a 150-160 cm (59-63 in) wingspan and weighing 2-3.5 kg (4.4-7.7 lb). Some sources broaden the weight to 2-5 kg, underscoring its hefty build for a wader. Sweeping its half-open beak for fish while its long legs stride through water.
- A single colony at Keoladeo-Ghana National Park hosts roughly 2,500 nests, making it the largest north-Indian breeding hub for painted storks. By contrast, the Delhi Zoo colony swells to 300-600 wild birds each season. Such massive aggregations create spectacular tourist draws.
- Painted storks hit peak foraging efficiency in just 7 cm of water, the depth at which prey capture was highest at Keoladeo National Park. They sweep their half-open beak side-to-side, feeling for fish by touch, and even stir the substrate with their feet to flush hidden prey.
- A growing chick needs 500-600 g (18-21 oz) of food daily, typically nine fish delivered in two feeding bouts. This high demand reflects rapid growth: fledging takes nearly two months.
- When the sun blazes, painted storks cool themselves by excreting onto their legs, a behavior called urohidrosis. Their legs are highly vascularized, so the evaporating waste dissipates heat, and the process intensifies as ambient temperature rises.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeSouth and Southeast Asia
HabitatTropical freshwater wetland
DietFish and frogs
About the Painted Stork
In the misty dawn of the wetlands, the Painted Stork emerges as a vision of elegance, its snowy plumage and coral-hued feathers glistening like the first blush of sunrise. With stately deliberation, it wades through the shallow waters, its long legs moving with the slow, sinuous rhythm of a dancer, as it searches for the fish and frogs that will sustain it through the day. As it rises into the air, its wings beating with a soft whoosh, the Painted Stork leaves behind a trail of ripples and reflected light, a fleeting glimpse of beauty in a world that is increasingly fragile.
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