Painted StorkMycteria leucocephalaVar och när du kan se dem

The Painted Stork brings a remarkable combination of white plumage, black wing markings and pink tertials to Asian wetlands. Its long yellow bill bends downward near the tip, while an orange adult face provides another conspicuous identification feature. The scientific name is Mycteria leucocephala, and the bird belongs to the stork family rather than the herons. For this River profile, the geographical connection is deliberately narrow: Cambodia's Prek Toal waterbird colony on Tonle Sap, reached on an optional dedicated wetland excursion via Siem Reap. The Cambodian Bird Guide Association's checklist dated 27 December 2018 explicitly lists the species there. That record does not establish sightings from a vessel cruising near Phnom Penh or at every Mekong stop. BirdLife's 2023 update moved the species from Near Threatened to Least Concern, crediting wetland management and reduced persecution. Improved global status does not remove the need to protect individual colonies or check current excursion arrangements.

Storlek

Large stork

Vikt

Species-specific weight not verified

Livslängd

Species-specific lifespan not verified

Status

See sourced assessment

Painted Storks breed in crowded colonies, often alongside other waterbirds, rather than nesting as isolated pairs in every available wetland. eBird describes a characteristic flight posture in which the head and neck droop, sometimes almost to belly level. That posture is useful when a distant bird's colours disappear against a bright sky. Feeding behaviour has also been studied directly: research at fourteen sites in India's Delhi region followed 131 individuals during 2004–2006 and confirmed tactile foraging. The birds in that study fed singly or in groups of up to eighteen, showing that colonial nesting does not require every feeding party to be large. These observations explain species behaviour but do not provide Prek Toal flock sizes or breeding dates. At the Cambodian colony, allow guides to choose an appropriate viewing position. A bird returning to its nest should have an unobstructed route, and a photograph never justifies crowding branches or pursuing a departing flock.

• Its pink tertials are wing feathers, not an all-over pink body colour.
• The adult has a bright orange face.
• The yellow bill curves downward near its tip.
• Immatures lack the adult chest band.
• Its head and neck typically droop in flight.
• It breeds in crowded colonies, often with other waterbirds.
• Delhi research confirmed tactile fish-catching in the birds studied.
• About eighty percent of fish fed to chicks in that Delhi study were under ten centimetres.
• BirdLife moved the species from Near Threatened to Least Concern in 2023.

No recurring species-specific Prek Toal viewing window is adopted here, so the monthly calendar remains empty. This is an evidence limitation, not a claim that Painted Storks are absent throughout the year. Sam Veasna's species page explicitly says the bird comes to Prek Toal around December to nest in tree canopies and bushes. That is useful local arrival context, but it does not establish a complete annual viewing interval. The same page recommends December to May while listing several Cambodian sites, so its recommendation is not treated as a Prek Toal-only monthly range. A separate tour page describes the whole colony as busiest between December and April; that is likewise not a species calendar. Before booking, ask about recent Painted Stork observations, current colony access and water conditions on the proposed date. A guide's current report is more useful for a particular departure than converting broad seasonal marketing into a guarantee.

Wetlands, marshes and flooded agricultural fields are the broad habitat types highlighted in eBird's Painted Stork account. They offer a more useful ecological description than the word river alone: shallow feeding areas and a safe colony setting matter more than proximity to a navigation channel. At Prek Toal, the local excursion description identifies seasonally flooded forest and scrub, with muddy lakeshore exposed as open water retreats. This is a Tonle Sap wetland visit, not simply an extension of watching from a Mekong cruise deck. WCS identifies the great lake's large waterbird breeding colonies as globally important and includes Painted Stork among their significant species. Its older conservation labels should not replace the later BirdLife assessment. Water levels and permitted access can alter which parts of the wetland are visible. Ask which reserve area the excursion actually reaches, and do not assume that suitable-looking habitat guarantees an occupied nest or a feeding flock.

Fish are central to the Painted Stork's feeding ecology, but the strongest evidence here comes from a geographically defined study rather than an assumed Cambodian menu. Kalam and Urfi studied foraging in the Delhi region during 2004–2006 and found the observed birds to be tactile feeders taking fish exclusively. Their results also showed that about eighty percent of fish delivered to chicks were shorter than ten centimetres. That figure describes the sampled colony and study conditions; it is not a measured Prek Toal prey distribution. The researchers recorded foot stirring and differences between vegetated and unvegetated feeding sites, illustrating why a wetland's structure can matter as well as its water area. Visitors may notice slow searching movements, but should not expect every successful capture to be visible from a boat. Never offer fish, bait a feeding area or encourage a boatman to drive birds into shallower water for easier photographs.

Namn

Painted Stork

Scientific name

Mycteria leucocephala

Djur grupp

Birds

Storlek

Large stork; species-specific length not verified in the selected sources

Vikt

Species-specific weight not verified

Livslängd

Species-specific lifespan not verified

Status

Least Concern in the BirdLife 2023 Red List update, downlisted from Near Threatened. The 2018 Prek Toal checklist uses the older NT category; it is occurrence evidence, not the current status authority.

Identifiering

Start with the adult's long yellow bill, which curves downward near the tip, and the bright orange bare face. eBird describes a mainly white bird with black striped wing markings, vivid pink tertials, pinkish legs and a speckled band across the chest. The pink belongs to particular wing feathers rather than covering the whole body, an important distinction when light changes apparent colour. Immatures are duller, have a brown wash and lack the adult chest band, so an unfamiliar brownish bird should not be dismissed solely because it lacks the adult pattern. In flight, check the drooping head and neck as well as the wing pattern. Compare several features before recording a distant stork; a single coloured patch is not enough. Photographs can help a guide assess a brief view afterwards, but do not move closer to a nest merely to resolve an identification. Exact species measurements and longevity remain unverified in this selected source set.