Close to 4000 painted storks nesting in two A.P. villages

Subject : Environment

Concept :

One of the largest flock of painted storks ( Mycteria leucocephala), approximately 4,000 birds, have made tall trees in Veepapuram and Venkatapuram villages in Andhra Pradesh.

About Painted Storks

The Painted Stork is a large wading bird in the stork family. Their distinctive pink tertial (flight) feathers of the wing are pink and give them their name.
The painted storks are usually seen in the freshwater wetlands and occasionally in the coastal regions.
They are found in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had categorized and evaluated these stork species and had listed them as ‘Near Threatened’.
These storks feed in groups, wading in shallow waters and avoiding deeper waters. They feed on small fish, frogs and reptiles.
The breeding season extends from July to October in north India and November to March in south India.
Though the population in India is considered secure, the painted stork are near threatened in other countries due to poaching.