Black Necked Stork

Dear loved ones hope you and your family are safe, now we have entered into a more critical situation because it is UNLOCK. Considering the economic impact, job impact, survival of poor people and many more such practical difficulties have forced the Nation to enter into UNLOCK.

Now it is upon us and no one else to ensure we stay away from COVID, keeping distance, sanitization, mask, etc will be part of our routine. We have to make sure that we are not carried away with frustration and start gathering or going to public places at large, this will cost us at large. Please be safe and ensure for some more time to continue safety precautions and avoid traveling/ outings, for sure this time will pass by. This reminds me of my favorite lines, this is how bad time will go and a good time will bring something new.  

Zindagi Ki Yehi Reet Hai.  Haar Ke Baad Hi Jeet Hai

Thode Aansu Hai, Thodi Hasi. Aaj Gham Hai To Kal Hai Khushi

One part is safety; other is helping poor, and needy. Go local, avoid imported materials from other countries, and contribute to our own economy. Do not cut the salary of daily wagers they are the most affected people in this world, help them, and help them to survive.

So now let me get back to our world of wildlife, now a day on the weekend I have started reviewing old trips and trying to find something new for you. So today I was going through Bharatpur trip and realized that I have not yet talked about this bird, so let me introduce the tiger of birds “Black-Necked Stork

Tiger of bird

I am sure you will be thinking what is so special that I am saying it is a tiger of birds. The tiger because it is very aggressive compare to other wading birds. In the month of February, we experienced the aggression of this bird at Bharatpur bird sanctuary. We wanted to evaluate as many species we can and one of the targets was Pelicans but due to Black Necked had occupied the territory so well that it was not allowing any other birds of prey to come within the range. Jaivinder our expert guide enlighten with the aggression and territorial behavior of this bird.

 Black-necked is strongly territorial and needs a lot of space. This behavior is very much similar to Tiger in terms of defending territory from others including other black-necked males very aggressively. In Jaivinder’s words, the Black-necked is so aggressive and killer that it can kill poisonous snakes very easily and can eat them smoothly as well. Jaivinder’s word “Yeh tiger se thodi Kam hai, snake ko goli ki Tarah Nigel leta hai”. This is why this bird is so special and unique with its habits, let’s see what more we can learn about this bird in the next section.  

Fantastic Facts

The black-necked stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) is a tall long-necked wading bird in the stork family. It is a resident species across the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia with a disjunction population in Australia 

Adult birds of both sexes have a heavy bill and are patterned in white and glossy blacks, but the sexes differ in the color of the iris, the females are yellow while the males are brown

In Australia, it is sometimes called a Jabiru although that name refers to a stork species found in the Americas. It is one of the few storks that are strongly territorial when feeding.

The black-necked stork is a tall bird measuring up to 53in. When fully outstretched their wings measure 90.5in from tip to tip. The average black-necked stork weighs 4.1kg. However, this is nearly 35% less than the mean body mass of the closely related saddle-billed stork

This large stork has a dance-like display. Pair stalks up to each other face to face, extending their wings and fluttering the wingtips rapidly and advancing their heads until they meet. They then clatter their bills and walk away. The display lasts for a minute and maybe repeated several times

The black-necked stork is a carnivore and its diet includes water birds such as coots, darters, little grebes, northern shoveller, pheasant-tailed jacana, and a range of aquatic vertebrates including fish, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates such as crabs and mollusks

Nest building in India commences during the peak of the monsoon with most of the nests initiated during September – November, with few new nests, built afterward until January. The nest is large, as much as 3 to 6 feet across and made up of sticks, branches and lined with rushes, water-plants and sometimes with a mud plaster on the edges

Adults stop feeding the young at the nest and begin to show aggression towards the chicks after they are about 3 or 4 months old. The young birds may stay on nearby for about a year but disperse soon

The old culture 

The Mir Shikars, traditional bird hunters of Bihar, India had a ritual practice that required a young man to capture a black-necked stork "Loha Sarang" alive before he could marry. A procession would locate a bird and the bridegroom-to-be would try to catch the bird with a limed stick. The cornered bird was a ferocious adversary. The ritual was stopped in the 1920s after a young man was killed in the process. Young birds have been known to be taken from the nest for meat in Assam.

So many qualities and hardly few we know, I hope you liked the story of this Tiger bird, do let me know your feedback on btwildart@gmail.om

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