Asian Woolly-necked Stork

The Asian woolly-necked stork, or Asian woollyneck, is a medium-sized stork standing 75–92cm tall. It is glossy black overall with a black skullcap and a downy white neck that gives it its name. The lower belly and undertail coverts are white, and the elongated fore-neck feathers, iridescent with a coppery-purple tinge, can be raised in display. It has long red legs, a heavy blackish bill and a deep crimson eye. The sexes are alike, and juveniles are duller. Asian birds have a sharper edge to the black cap than African ones, which some authorities treat as a separate species (Wikipedia, general species account).

It breeds singly or in small loose colonies, nesting in trees in farmland or wetlands, on cliffs and on phone masts. It uses a wide range of freshwater habitats, from reservoirs and marshes to crop fields, canals and rivers, and forest pools, and is mostly seen in farmland and wetlands outside protected areas. It is attracted to grass and crop fires, catching insects fleeing the flames. Its species name means bishop. In India it is resident across a very large range; SoIB 2023 estimates a long-term decline of about 39% and rates it a Moderate conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).