Wood Stork (Mycteria americana)

OTHER NAMES: Flinthead, Stonehead, Ironhead, Gourdhead, Preacher
Latin Etymology:  Mycteria ("nose/snout") americana ("of America")

Adult Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) at Tarcoles, Costa Rica - November 2025

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 2-3.3kg  /  Height: 83-115cm  /  Wingspan: 140-180cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern 

A species largely found from Nicaragua downwards, but also with colonies in Florida and Cuba, making it the most Northerly distributed Stork of the Americas. It requires large trees near water for esting, particularly being associated with estuaries. It often hunts non visually, using it's bill to detect prey by touch in murkey waters.

Related Species:
Order: Ciconiiformes
Family: Ciconidae
Genus: Mycteria
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

COSTA RICA - Spanish - Tántalo Americano

A locally common resident.
 - COSTA RICA 2025 TRIP: Seen at Tarcoles

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Asian Woolly-necked Stork (Ciconia episcopus)

OTHER NAMES: Asian Whitenecked Stork, Bishop Stork
Latin Etymology: Ciconia ("stork") episcopus ("bishop" - in reference to a black cap)

Adult Wooly-necked Stork (subspecies C. e. episcopus) at Florican Grasslands, Cambodia - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: Ciconia episcopus episcopus
Weight: 1.8kg  /  Length: 75-92cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

Cambodia is a great country for storks, with seven species breeding within it's borders.  Most are heavily associated with wetland habitats as the vast colonies of Prek Toal can attest, but the Wooly-necked is a bit less colonial in it's nesting, and also frequents grassland areas more.  We only saw a single pair of these birds, distantly coming in to land over the Florican Grasslands.  They seem to be in a bit of taxonomic limbo as most sources seem to list a continuous species over Africa and Asia, but also imply the African subspecies have been split off.

Related Species:
Order: Ciconiiformes
Family: Ciiconidae
Genus: Ciconia
SUBSPECIES: C. e. microscelis,* C. e. episcopus, C. e. neglecta

 - Sighting Locations -

CAMBODIA - Khmer names: សត្វកសឬត្រុំឬកុកពាក់អំបោះ 

A scarce resident

SINGAPORE / CAMBODIA 2019 TRIP - Two seen very distantly at Florican Grassland Reserve

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

*Some authorities separate this subspecies into a full species as the African Wooly-necked Stork, oddly, the IUCN is the only one of my normal sources to do so, despite usually being more conservative splitters than others. .

Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Leptoptilos ("thin feather") javanicus ("of Java")

Adult Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) at Prek Toal, Cambodia - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: N/A 
Weight: 4-5.7kg  /  Length: 87-93cm  /  Wingspan: 200-210cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

A huge prehistoric looking bird that somehow still manages to be the smallest member of it's genus, the Lesser Adjutant is an increasingly scarce species which has Cambodia as one of it's remaining strongholds.  They were the least numerous of the storks we saw at Prek Toal, with around ten sightings, but when they did appear they certainly made strong impressions - often soaring or perched on exposed tree stumps.  They are a highly predatory species, hunting animals up to the size of small mammals, though will occassionally scavenge.  The name adjutant refers to them being percieved as having a stiff, military like gait, based on the original meaning of the word as an officer who acts as a military assistant.

Related Species:
Order: Ciconiiformes
Family: Ciconidae
Genus: Leptoptilos
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

CAMBODIA - Khmer - ត្រដក់តូច ("Little trap")

A scarce, localised resident.

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Reasonable numbers seen at Prek Toal

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Asian Openbill (Anastomus oscitans)

OTHER NAMES: Asian Openbill Stork
Latin Etymology: Anastomus ("with wide open mouth") oscitans ("yawning")

Large flock of Asian Openbill (Anastomus oscitans) at Siem Reap, Cambodia - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 1.3-8.9kg  /  Height: 68cm  /  Wingspan: 148cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Asian Openbill is certainly a distinctive looking bird - the namesake beak is unique to the family - a gap between the two mandibles gives a distinctive profile and is believed to be used to help them feed on aquatic snails - their main prey source.  They are fairly common within their range, and near appropriate habitat and in Prek Toal they proved to be abundant with hundreds seen.

Related Species:
Order: Ciconiiformes
Family: Ciconidae
Genus: Anastomus
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

CAMBODIA - Khmer - ចង្កៀលខ្យង ("Snail scissors")

A fairly common, and locally abundant resident

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Seen at Siem Reap and Prek Toal

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Mycteria ("nose/snout") leucocephala ("white head") 

Four Adult Painted Stork (Mycterua leucocephala) at Prek Toal, Cambodia - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 2-3.5kg  /  Wingspan: 150-160cm  /  Height: 93-102cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened 

I must admit, seeing Painted Stork in Malaysia was a bit of a pleasant accident - we pulled over at a restaurant at a fairly random road near Kuala Lumpur Airport and four of these colourful storks circled overhead.  For the listing purists, these birds wouldn't count however - Malaysia has a bit of a more lax attitude to free-flying birds in zoos and collections and in this case these birds have gone on to establish a feral colony in Selangor near Kuala Lumpur Airport where these birds were seen.  I saw a further individual on a pond near the road Malacca on the Northern outskirts of Kuala Lumpur but this is near to the free-flying zoo population so probably from there.  The Painted Stork is one of the more common Stork species in Asia, however it is suffering declines due to human disturbance - however unfortunately it itself is a cause of conservation problems for Milky Stork - a similar species that is native to Malaysia.  On our later trip to Cambodia, truely wild Painted Stork were a frequently abundant bird in many locations.

Related Species:
Order: Ciconiiformes
Family: Ciconidae
Genus: Mycteria
Subspecies: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

CAMBODIA - Khmer - រនាលពណ៌ (The colour palette")

A fairly common, and locally abundant resident

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Seen at Florican Grassland Reserve,  Phnom Krom and in huge abundance at Prek Toal

MALAYSIA - Malay - Upeh Sawah ("Field Stork")

Feral populations exist in Selangor province and possibly along the Singapore straits.

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2016 TRIP: A flock of four seen circling in Selangor Province near Kuala Lumpur Airport. 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Black Stork (Ciconia nigra)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Ciconia ("stork") nigra ("black")

 Adult Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) on the nest at Monfrague National Park, Spain - April 2016

Featured Subspecies: N/A

Weight: 3kg  /  Length: 95-100cm  /  Wingspan: 145-155cm

NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Black Stork is the other large Stork of Europe, but unlike the White Stork, is a far more secretive bird found in remote places. It is a more specialised species tied to fresh water habitats and forest in which it breeds.  Generally a difficult to see species, in the Monfrague National park there is a nest that can be viewed from one of the watch-points, and birds can be seen flying over.  However, even with these advantages they still can be reliably seen only at considerably greater distance than the urban-dwelling White Stork, which from a selfish standpoint is a shame as I would generally regard the Black Stork as the more handsome of the two.

Related Species:
Order: Ciconiiformes
Family: Ciconidae
Genus: Ciconia
Subspecies: None - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

SPAIN - Spanish - Ciguena Nigra - ("Black Stork")

Scarce and Local Resident

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Seen at Monfrague (2 adults in flight, 1 adult on the nest)

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Ciconia ("stork") ciconia ("stork")

Two adult White Stork (subspecies C. c. ciconia) at Rivas Vaciamadrid Station, Madrid, Spain - April 2016

Featured Subspecies: Ciconia ciconia ciconia
Weight: 3.4kg  /  Height: 100-125cm  /  Wingspan: 1.5-2.1m
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A huge bird only really found as a vagrant in the UK.  White Storks are the commoner of the two European Storks and are practically unmistakable at any sort of range.  They often nest in large trees, on top of buildings or on poles in huge nests, often in colonies.  Much bigger than a heron, it holds its neck out straight when flying.  The red beak and legs and white and black body are characteristic.  Throughout much of Europe it is migratory, leaving in Winter, but is resident in Donana.  If anything, I found them to be more abundant on a later trip to Madrid, where we saw them roosting on buildings and flying over the city fairly regularly.  As of 2019, a reintroduction project is underway in the UK.

Related Species:
Order: Ciconiiformes
Family: Ciiconidae
Genus: Ciconia
Subspecies: C. c. ciconia, C. c. asiatica

 - Sighting Locations -

ITALY - Italian: Cicogna bianca ("white stork")
Variously a resident, passage migrant or breeding Summer migrant, depending on location

 - SICILY 2018 TRIP -  A few individuals seen at various locations

SPAIN - Spanish: Ciguëña común  ("Common Stork")

Common resident, can often be seen nesting at close range.

 - SEVILLE 2011 TRIP: One bird seen at El Rocio
 - MADRID 2015 TRIP: Abundant throughout Madrid and surroundings - most commonly seen large bird.
 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Abundant throughout Madrid as well as Arrocampo and Rivas Vaciamadrid

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB , Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .