Asian Openbill

Asian Openbill
Bueng Boraphet, Nakhon Sawan, Thailand
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Ciconiiformes
Family:	Ciconiidae
Genus:	Anastomus
Species:	A. oscitans
Binomial name
Anastomus oscitans Boddaert, 1783

The Asian Openbill or Asian Openbill Stork, Anastomus oscitans, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It is a resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Southeast Asia.

Asian Openbill Stork is a broad-winged soaring bird, which relies on moving between thermals of hot air for sustained flight. Like all storks, it flies with its neck outstretched. It is relatively small for a stork at 68 cm length. They breed near inland wetlands and build stick nest in trees, typically laying 2-6 eggs.

Breeding adults are all white except for the black wing flight feathers, red legs and dull yellow-grey bill. The mandibles do not meet except at the tip, and this gives rise to the species' name. Non-breeding adults have the white of the plumage replaced by off-white. Young birds have brown tinge to the plumage.

The Asian Openbill Stork, like most of its relatives, walks slowly and steadily on the ground, feeding on molluscs, frogs and large insects.

• 

  Adult in flight in Kolkata, West Bengal, India

• 

  Flock in Uppalapadu, Andhra Pradesh, India

• 

  Juveniles in Uppalapadu, Andhra Pradesh, India

References

1. ^ BirdLife International (2008). Anastomus oscitans. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 3 February 2009. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

• Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp; Birds of India. ISBN 0-691-04910-6

External links

Media related to Anastomus oscitans at Wikimedia Commons

• Details and pictures of Asian Openbill Stork from Nagpur, India