A small stork of grayish white or white plumage, with black in the wings. The curious reddish black bill, with arching mandibles leaving a narrow open gap between them, is diagnostic. Sexes alike. Twos and threes or flocks, at tanks and marshes. Resident. According to Ferguson (1904, JBNHS 16: 15 ) ‘very common in Travancore where large flocks may be met with on the marshy borders of all the larger tanks and freshwater lakes, sharing the trees for roosting with flocks of Darters'. Since then its status in Kerala seems to have altered considerably. It is now found only sparsely and in small numbers, Distribution Outside Kerala is in Ceylon , all India , Assam , Burma , Thailand and Cambodia . It is apparently adapted in some way to deal with the thick hard shells of the large Pila snails found on marshes, the soft body and viscera of which form such an important food item of this species. It also eats frogs, crabs, large insects, &c.eggs – 2 to 4 , sullied white. Average SIZE 57.9X41.2 mm.

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Canon 50D

Tags:   anastomus-ocitans anastomus Totally-Thailand Anastomus oscitans

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Canon 50D

Tags:   Thailand Totally-Thailand Earth-Asia wildlife nature animals Birds waterbirds rice-field Song-Phi-Nong anastomus-ocitans anastomus

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Canon 50D

Tags:   Thailand Totally-Thailand Earth-Asia wildlife nature Birds waterbirds anastomus-ocitans anastomus

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Canon 50D

Tags:   Thailand Thai-Pix-Wildlife-Photography Totally-Thailand Earth-Asia wildlife nature annimals birds waterbirds aSIAN-OPENBILL-STORK anastomus-ocitans

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