The Asian openbill stork is a broad-winged soaring bird, which relies on moving between thermals of hot air for sustained flight.
Like all storks, it flies with its neck outstretched.
It is relatively small for a stork at 68cm length.
Breeding adults are all white except for the black wing flight feathers, red legs and dull yellow-grey bill. The mandibles do not meet except at the tip, and this gives rise to the species' name.
Non-breeding adults have the white of the plumage replaced by off-white.
Young birds have brown tinge to the plumage. |
