Lesser Adjutant

The lesser adjutant is a large stork with an upright stance and a bare head and neck, with a few hair-like feathers but no hanging pouch. It is 87–93cm long, stands about 110–120cm tall and weighs 4–5.71kg. It is smaller and trimmer than the greater adjutant, with a straight upper bill edge, a paler skullcap, almost all-black upperparts and a white belly and undertail; the upper legs are grey rather than pink. In the breeding season the face turns reddish and the neck orange. Juveniles are duller (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is more closely tied to wetlands than the greater adjutant, living around large rivers and lakes in wooded country, freshwater wetlands in farmland and coastal mudflats and mangroves. It is usually solitary and less likely to scavenge than its larger relative. Like other adjutants it flies with its neck retracted. SoIB 2023 lists it as resident in India with local movements, finds a current decline of about 3% a year, and rates it a Moderate conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).