Woolly-necked Stork

Ciconia episcopus

Beak

—

Feet

—

Crest

No crest

Widespread resident; unrecorded in parts of NW or NE subcontinent and E India. Stocky, largely blackish stork with 'woolly' white neck, black 'skullcap', and white vent and undertail-coverts. in flight, upperwing and underwing entirely dark. Adult has black of body and wings glossed with greenish - blue, purple and copper. Bill is black, with variable amounts of red, and legs and feet are dull red. Juvenile similarly patterned to adult, but has duller brown body and wings, and feathered forehead. Usually found singly or in pairs, occasionally in small parties. Hunts on dry or marshy ground and wet grasslands; rarely wades. Flooded grassland. marshes. irrigated fields and riverine areas, usually near open wooded country.