| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
| Woolly-necked Stork | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Ciconia episcopus ( Boddaert, 1783) |
The Woolly-necked Stork (Ciconia episcopus) is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae.
It is a widespread tropical species which breeds in Africa and in Asia from India to Indonesia. It is a resident breeder in wetlands with trees. The large stick nest is built in a forest tree, and 2-5 eggs is the typical clutch. This stork is usually silent, but indulges in mutual bill-clattering when adults meet at the nest.
Woolly-necked Stork is a broad winged soaring bird, which relies on moving between thermals of hot air for sustained long distance flight. Like all storks, it flies with its neck outstretched.
It is large bird, 85cm tall. It is all black except for the woolly white neck and white lower belly. The upperparts are glossed dark green, and the breast and belly have a purple hue. Young birds are a duller version of the adult.
African birds, C. e. microscelis, have the head mainly black, but the nominate Asian race, C. e. episcopus, has the head mainly white except for a darker area around the eyes. Eastern Indonesian birds belong to a third form, C. e. neglecta.
The Woolly-necked Stork walks slowly and steadily on the ground seeking its prey, which like that of most of its relatives, is frogs, lizards and large insects. African birds are attracted to bush fires.
The bird derives its scientific species name from the black and white vestments formerly worn by clerics.